Climate change is leading to an annual increase in extreme conditions. Public health is closely related to weather conditions; hence, climate change becomes a major factor concerning every-day human health conditions. The most common extreme natural phenomenon that affects people’s health is the summer heat wave. During the 21st century, as the air temperature continues to rise, the sea surface temperature (SST) rises along with it, especially along the seacoasts. More massive water bodies, such as seas or larger lagoons, that warm up during the day do not allow the ambient air to cool down quickly, causing the air temperature to often be warmer at night in the coastal area than in the continental part of the continent. Currently, not only an increase in the number of days with heat waves is observed, but also an increase in the number of tropical nights in the coastal zone of the Southeastern Baltic Sea. In this work, heat waves are analyzed in the seaside resorts of Lithuania, where the effects of the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon are most dominant.

This study investigates the impact of meteorological conditions on unplanned outages of overhead transmission lines (OHTL) in Lithuania’s 0.4–35 kV power grid from January 2013 to March 2023. Data from the Lithuanian electricity distribution network operator and the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service were integrated to attribute outage events with weather conditions. A Bayesian change point analysis identified thresholds for these meteorological factors, indicating points at which the probability of outages increases sharply. The analysis reveals that wind gust speeds, particularly those exceeding 21 m/s, are significant predictors of increased outage rates. Precipitation also plays a critical role, with a 15-fold increase in the relative number of outages observed when 3 h accumulated rainfall exceeds 32 mm, and a more than 50-fold increase for 12 h snowfall exceeding 22 mm. This study underscores the substantial contribution of lightning discharges to the number of outages. In forested areas, the influence of meteorological conditions is more significant. Furthermore, the research emphasizes that combined meteorological factors, such as strong winds accompanied by rain or snow, significantly increase the risk of outages, particularly in these forested regions. These findings emphasize the need for enhanced infrastructure resilience and targeted preventive measures to mitigate the impact of extreme weather events on Lithuania’s power grid.

Climate atlases summarize large sets of quantitative and qualitative data and are results of complex analytical cartographic work. These special geographical publications summarize long term meteorological observations, provide maps and figures which characterise different climate elements. Visual information is supplemented with explanatory texts. A lot of information on short and long term changes of climate elements were provided in published Lithuanian atlases (Atlas of Lithuanian SDR, 1981; Climate Atlas of Lithuania, 2013), as well as in prepared but unpublished Lithuanian Atlas (1989) and in upcoming new national atlas publications (National Atlas of Lithuania. 1^st part, 2014). Climate atlases has to be constantly updated to be relevant and to describe current climate conditions. Comprehensive indicators of Lithuanian climate are provided in different cartographic publications. Different time periods, various data sets and diverse cartographic data analysis tools and visualisation methods were used in these different publications.

Lietuvoje stichinėms sausroms identifikuoti oficialiai naudojamas Selianinovo hidroterminis koeficientas (HTK), kuris nustato sausras augalų aktyviosios vegetacijos laikotarpiu. Šio tyrimo tikslas – išskirti stichines sausras ir sausringus laikotarpius Lietuvoje analizuojamaisiais 1961–2015 metais. Nustatyta, kad bent vienoje meteorologijos stotyje stichinės sausros registruotos 14 metų per 55 metų analizuojamąjį periodą. Lokalios sausros registruotos aštuonerius metus, o šalies masto – apėmusios ≥1/3 šalies teritorijos – šešerius metus. Rezultatai parodė, kad dažniau sausros registruotos vakarinėje ir pietvakarinėje, o rečiau pietrytinėje ir rytinėje Lietuvos dalyse. Nustatyta, kad per paskutiniuosius du dešimtmečius sausros tapo dažnesnės ir apima didesnę šalies teritoriją. Analizė parodė, kad stichinių sausrų ir jų formavimosi metu būdingas didelis neigiamas kritulių kiekio nuokrypis ir dažniausiai teigiamas oro temperatūros nuokrypis nuo viso analizuojamojo laikotarpio vidurkio. Sausringi laikotarpiai dar dažnesni nei stichinės sausros, jie 1961–2015 m. registruoti bent vienoje MS dažniau nei kartą per dvejus metus.

Extreme events have become an integral aspect of the unusually intensified climate change characterizing this century. This study examines extreme heat waves and tropical nights—phenomena historically uncommon in the mid-latitude Southeastern Baltic Sea region. Extreme heat and heat waves are defined as any period during which the daily maximum air temperature exceeds 30 °C, and a tropical night is one in which the daily minimum air temperature does not fall below 20 °C. Both in situ observations and model output from the Copernicus Climate Change Service were employed in the 1982–2024 analysis. The results reveal that the frequency of extreme heat waves is increasing. Since 2018, the southeastern Baltic Sea coast has experienced at least one extreme heat wave and one tropical night each year. The observed rise in mean air and sea-surface temperatures has driven an uptick in tropical night occurrence. Forecasts of tropical-night formation could be substantially improved by integrating sea-surface temperature assessments for the southeastern Baltic coast. Moreover, timely adaptation to evolving weather conditions—through enhanced forecasting techniques and the incorporation of high-resolution reanalysis datasets—is essential for optimizing early-warning systems capable of safeguarding human health and lives. Climate change increases the frequency and intensity of heat waves, posing significant challenges to public health, the economy, the environment, and infrastructure. Therefore, advancing the understanding of extreme heat events through the use of cutting-edge technologies, remote sensing, and Copernicus reanalysis data represents a key sustainability task. Such approaches enable more accurate assessments and forecasts of extremes, thereby supporting a safer, healthier, and more resilient future.

Climate warming is increasing heat-related risks and the need for sustainable adaptation across Europe, including Lithuania. This study assessed thermal stress in Lithuania during May–September over a 44-year period (1982–2025), using Copernicus ERA5 and ERA5-HEAT data alongside national meteorological station observations. Long-term changes in maximum air temperature (Tmax), the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI), Humidex, and the frequency of hot days and tropical nights were examined. The comparison focused on Klaipėda, influenced by a maritime climate, and Vilnius, located approximately 300 km inland. The annual number of heat-stress days with moderate or greater heat stress (UTCI ≥ 26 °C) increased by 0.30 days per year in Klaipėda and 0.61 days per year in Vilnius, equivalent to approximately 3 and 6 additional days per decade, respectively. Increases were most pronounced in the moderate heat-stress category (26 °C ≤ UTCI < 32 °C). Strong heat-stress days (32 °C ≤ UTCI < 38 °C) were less frequent, with a slight increase observed only in Vilnius and rare occurrences in Klaipėda. Humidex also indicated increasing thermal discomfort at both locations. Although warm-season temperature percentiles were lower at the coast, tropical nights (minimum air temperature ≥ 20 °C) increased significantly in Klaipėda by 0.76 nights per decade (p = 0.002). A supplementary exploratory pilot spectral analysis identified indications of recurring Tmax variability at 2–3-year timescales, more pronounced in Klaipėda. These findings highlight the importance of assessing complementary daytime and nighttime heat indicators in maritime and continental settings.