2018 the hottest year in Prague since 1775

The average temperature in Prague last year was 12.8 degrees Celsius (55 degrees Fahrenheit), 3.2 degrees above the average of the past 240 years, the CHMI said.

The previous record-holding years were 2014 and 2015, each with an average temperature of 12.5 degrees. The CHMI also said that since meteorological observations began, nine of the ten hottest years have all been in the 21st century.

Meteorological data in Prague had first been registered in 1752 at the Klementinum observatory – the country’s oldest such facility – and regular observations are available from 1775 onward. While the downtown location of the observatory may not be ideal for exact measurements, the simple fact of uninterrupted data going back so far in time represents a huge value to climate sciences.