🇦🇱Albania

Albania spans roughly 40° to 43°N in the Western Balkans, where the Adriatic and Ionian coasts meet dramatic mountain terrain. The Mediterranean coastline experiences a classic Csa climate with hot, dry summers, while inland areas transition to humid subtropical and continental regimes (Cfa/Dfb). The Albanian Alps (Bjeshkët e Nemuna, or Prokletije) dominate the north, with elevations climbing from sea level to 2,764 m at Mount Korab.

Coastal summers in Tirana see maximum temperatures around 32°C, with July means near 24°C; winters are mild at 6–10°C. Mountain valleys drop to −5 to −10°C in January and receive heavy snowfall. Annual precipitation ranges from roughly 1,000 mm on the coast to over 2,000–3,000 mm in northern highland areas like Boga and Theth, while interior plateaus such as Korçë remain drier. The bora—a cold northeasterly wind—brings continental air in winter, and the sirocco from the south carries hot, humid conditions. Autumn flash floods along the Adriatic are increasingly common.

Our archive covers 4 Albanian cities with daily ERA5 reanalysis data going back to 1940. The warmest July averages occur in Elbasan, around 31.5°C, while Elbasan records the coldest January nights near 2.1°C. Comparing the last decade against the 1940–1970 baseline, mean temperatures across these cities have risen by about 1.4°C.