Ljubljana, Jan 6 (IANS): In 2022, temperatures in Slovenia were the highest since measurements started, the country's Environment Agency (ARSO) said.

"The average air temperature last year reached 10.8 degrees Celsius, almost two degrees above the 1981-2010 average," Xinhua news agency quoted ARSO as saying citing preliminary data.

All four seasons of 2022 were warmer than the average in the country.

The average annual temperature has increased by 2.3 degrees Celsius since 1970 and has been increasing by about 0.4 degree every 10 years.

Last year, annual precipitation in the country was 15 per cent below the 1981-2010 average, which made 2022 one of the driest years in Slovenia's history.

Slovenia, a mountainous country that lies between Italy, Austria, Hungary, Croatia and the Adriatic Sea, has over the past years experienced severe droughts during the summer months, which resulted in a number of wildfires.

In July 2022, the largest wildfire in Slovenia's history raged in the western part of the country for about two weeks, destroying large forest areas and forcing the evacuation of several villages.

There were no casualties.