Summer rainfall levels in Belarus have already surpassed the average every twelve years.
Heavy Rain and Unusual Weather Conditions Hit Belarus in June and July 2025
Belarus experienced an exceptional amount of rainfall in June and July 2025, with Minsk being the primary location for the heaviest downpours. Elena Komarovskaya, a leading engineer-meteorologist from the climate change study department of Belhydromet, reported these weather conditions.
On July 15, 2025, Minsk was hit by extreme heavy rainfall that triggered widespread flash flooding. The city's drainage systems were overwhelmed, rendering streets impassable, and causing major traffic gridlocks (rated 10/10 on the city scale). Public transportation such as trams, trolleybuses, and buses were halted in several neighborhoods, including Dennisovskaya Street.
This intense downpour was part of a larger weather system delivering thunderstorms, hail, and strong winds across Belarus. A red-level weather alert was issued by the Biełhidramiet weather service for intense showers and thunderstorms on July 15 and expected continuation on July 16.
Another powerful thunderstorm swept over Minsk on July 30, 2025, causing flash flooding paired with gusty winds. Outside Minsk, flooding and damages were reported in other parts of Belarus, but detailed amounts and precise location data beyond the capital are not explicitly cited in the sources. However, the impacts were severe enough to disrupt transportation and power supply, including the Mahiloŭchimvalakno chemical plant, which took about a week to restore full power after storms earlier in July.
The distribution of rainfall throughout the year in Belarus has changed, with prolonged rainy periods alternating with dry ones. In June, there were 9 to 20 days with more than 0.1 mm of rain, compared to a norm of 8 to 11 days. In July, there were 8 to 18 days with more than 0.1 mm of rain, against a norm of 9 to 11 days.
Dangerous rainfall is defined as 50 mm or more in 12 hours, and a downpour as 30 mm or more in an hour. The rainfall of this magnitude occurs in Belarus once every 12 years.
While Minsk stood out as the primary location for the heaviest downpours, other regions including Mahiloŭ were affected by severe weather. However, without detailed local rainfall data in the available reports, it is difficult to provide specifics on the amount of rainfall in these areas.
In addition to the unusual rainfall patterns, Belarus is warming faster than the global trend. The air temperature increase in Belarus is 0.4 degrees every 10 years, compared to the global temperature increase of typically between 0.1 to 0.3 degrees. The minimum temperature was recorded in Maloryta at +3.9°C, while the absolute maximum temperature was reached on July 3 in Brest, with a temperature of +34.5°C.
June was cooler by 0.4°C, while July was warmer. The temperature is rising in every month, but most notably in winter and early spring. These changes in weather patterns are believed to be a result of climate change.
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- Elena Komarovskaya, a leading engineer-meteorologist from the environmental-science department of Belhydromet, reported the unusually heavy rainfall and weather conditions that hit Belarus in June and July 2025, including climate-change-induced increases in temperature.
- The weather conditions in Belarus, characterized by heavy rain, unusual temperature increases, and extreme weather events like thunderstorms and flash flooding, are indicative of changes observed in Climate change science, with Belarus warming faster than the global trend.
