Trends in Air Temperature and Precipitation in Valjevo (Western Serbia)

Milica Živanović

Abstract


Climatological data, such as air temperature and precipitation amounts, represent fundamental parameters for monitoring and analyzing the climate conditions of a given area. Their statistical processing enables a more comprehensive understanding of climate trends and extreme weather events. This study examines trends in mean monthly air temperatures and precipitation totals for the meteorological station in Valjevo, based on data obtained from the Meteorological Yearbooks of the Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia. The objective of the study was to identify trends in the time series of the principal climatological parameters. The non-parametric Mann-Kendall test was applied for statistical analysis. This finding implies that fluctuations in precipitation are more likely attributable to natural interannual variability rather than to systematic changes in climatic conditions. In contrast, trends of varying levels of statistical significance were detected in the time series of mean monthly air temperatures, indicating potential signals of climate change. During the observed time period, there was an increase in temperature, especially during June, July and August, which are also the months with the greatest statistical significance. The obtained results provide a foundation for further investigations of climate change at the local scale and may serve as a basis for the planning and implementation of adaptation measures.

Keywords: air temperature, precipitation, Valjevo, Mann-Kendall test, climate change, meteorological station, climatic parameters

© 2026 Serbian Geographical Society, Belgrade, Serbia.

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Serbia.


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