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Globally, 2020 ended the warmest decade since the beginning of the measurements (WMO), and the warmest year was 2016, marked by a strong and intense El Ñino. In Oltenia the warmest year was 2019 with the average for the whole region of 12.4°C and the deviation from normal of 2.5°C, followed by 2020 with the general average of 12.2°C and the deviation from normal of 2.3°C. After the 2019- 2020 warm winter, which was the second Mediterranean winter in southern Romania, followed the normal thermal spring in which climatic anomalies were frequent. The summer of 2020 was warm and marked by great climate variability, given by the presence of a weak La Ñina climate process. Since June, the average temperature is normal and unstable, the climatic alternations and the progressive increase of the air temperature, determined that in August the weather will be the warmest during the summer and an intense heat wave occurred at the end of the month with the peak on 1.IX.2020.The paper analyses special climate variability in the summer of 2020, which is the continuation of an extensive series of works on climate variability and climate change in southwestern Romania (I. Marinică 2006, I. Marinică, Andreea Floriana, 2016, 2020). The paper is useful to all those interested in climate variability and climate change in this part of Romania.

The summer of 2022, in southwest Romania, as in Romania and on the European continent, was particularly hot, marked by a progressive weather warming starting from the very last month of spring - May. According to the Hellmann criterion, June was warm (CL) with a monthly mean of 22.06°C and a deviation from normal of 2.65°C. July was warm (C) with a monthly average, for the entire Oltenia region, of 23.96°C and a deviation from normal of 2.45°C. August was warm (C) with a monthly mean of 23.59°C and a deviation from normal of 2.5°C. Summer was hot (C) with a seasonal mean of 23.2°C and a deviation from normal of 2.5°C. The heat waves had the temporal extension of 51.1% of the summer days, and after the 7.VIII a rainy period followed. The entire continent of Europe was affected by the drought and then by the rainy season. The paper analyses the climatic evolution of this summer, which was the third warmest in the history of the climate in Oltenia, and is useful to all those interested in the climate of south-western Romania.

The periods of warming and cooling of the weather on Earth followed one another with great irregularity and caused significant variations in air temperature but allowed the existence of life and especially of the human species. In this paper we have analysed the variation of air temperature in Oltenia in the period 1961-2021. A number of our other works have analysed the variability of the climate in this part of Romania. After the warm period of 1945-1955, a gradual cooling of the weather followed in summers and during the period 1966-1984 (for 20 years). In summers, no thermal maximum of ≥40°C was registered. The period 2000-2021 (22 years) was the warmest of all the meteorological observations in Oltenia and many annual, monthly and daily climate records were surpassed. At the same time, during the analysed interval, the melting rate of the ice in the polar areas intensified a lot and exceptional thermal maxima were registered. The heat waves during the summers were more and more intense, more frequent and longer in duration. The paper is useful to all those interested in climate variability in Oltenia.

The particularly hot summer of 2021 occurred after the third Mediterranean winter registered in Oltenia. Although the winter was warm, being the third warmest winter in descending order of the seasonal average, the spring of 2021 was cold not only in Oltenia, even in the Northern Hemisphere being considered one of the coldest springs. This weather remained until 15.VI, then on 22.VI began the first heat wave of summer 2021. During the summer of 2021 there were 6 heat waves that had several peaks. (19) with intensities frequently exceeding 38,0°C. The summer maximum temperature was 41.1°C recorded on 1.VIII.2021 in Calafat. The drought and heat wave were intense, and the total duration of the heat waves was 50 days (54.3% of summer days). The particularly hot summer of 2021 was recorded in atypical conditions with neutral Southern Oscillation (ENSO). All spring crops were severely affected. The paper analyses the climatic conditions in the summer of 2021 in Oltenia and climate variability.

For Europe, the undisputed importance of the Danube can be rendered by some general data: Its hydrographic basin surface exceeds 817000 km2, i.e. about 10% of that of the continent, its length is 2857 km and its mean multiannual discharge is about 6500 m3/s, thus ranking second to Volga river. Romania is the country with the largest surface situated within Danube's basin (97.4%), representing 29% of Danube's hydrographic basin. The water resources of the Danube in Bazias section amount to 173 billion m3, 30 billion m3 of which are technically usable resources.Our analysis aimed at determining those complex meteorological situations at the European continent level that triggered exceptional discharges along the Danube river, resulting in severe flooding, causing in turn heavy damages, fatalities, population evacuations and considerable rehabilitation costs. A complex analysis was performed, of statistical-synoptic type and those complex meteorological situations were identified that determined the occurrence of such disasters. Discharges and levels of the Danube were used along the whole measuring period, data from the archive of the National Meteorological Administration, and data, map and image archives from Wetterzentrale (Kartenarchiv, NCEP, NCAR, AVN etc.). The complex meteorological situations at the level of the European continent that triggered exceptional discharges along the Danube correlate with intense cyclonic activity, of both the Icelandic and the Mediterranean cyclones, with the negative phase of the North-Atlantic Oscillation and with decreasing or minimum solar activity (according to data from NOAA's Space Environment Center). The most disastrous floods occurred in the spring of 2006. The paper is important for meteorologists, in their weather forecasting activity, for hydrologists, in their hydrological forecasting and for the institutions involvedin flood management.