On June 29 and 30, Romania will temporarily restrict the movement of trucks weighing more than 7.5 metric tons on a number of roads due to a severe heat wave, according to Romania’s National Road Infrastructure Management Company (CNAIR).
The restrictions will be in effect on Monday and Tuesday from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on sections of national roads, expressways, and highways in 35 counties across the country, including Suceava, where border crossing points with Ukraine are located.
As a result, temporary restrictions on freight traffic may be imposed at the Ukrainian-Romanian border through the “Krasnoilsk–Vicovu de Sus” and “Porubne–Siret” border crossing points. According to preliminary information, the restrictions will apply to trucks, including those traveling without cargo.
The Romanian side explains this decision by the need to protect the road surface from damage under conditions of extremely high temperatures. During intense heat, heavy vehicle traffic can deform the asphalt, especially during the daytime hours when temperatures are at their highest.
The duration of the ban may be adjusted depending on weather conditions and decisions by Romanian authorities. Carriers planning to cross the border through the Chernivtsi region are advised to factor in possible delays in advance and monitor announcements from border and road authorities.
A number of countries in Southern and Western Europe have seen a sharp rise in temperatures to nearly 40 degrees, leading to widespread warnings, transportation disruptions, and strain on infrastructure and ecosystems, according to Reuters.
Spain, France, and Italy have been the hardest-hit countries due to the heat wave in Europe, where air temperatures are approaching 40 degrees. The extreme weather conditions have led to the issuance of elevated danger alerts, disruptions to transportation—particularly rail service—and increased strain on infrastructure and emergency services.
“The heat surge on June 21—the day of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and typically the start of the three hottest months of the year—has raised concerns about the early and prolonged onset of extreme conditions,” the report states.
In Spain, the AEMET weather service issued red and orange warnings, forecasting temperatures of 39–40 degrees across most of the Iberian Peninsula and Mallorca. The heat is expected to last at least until midweek.
In France, due to overheating of the infrastructure, the railway operator SNCF canceled 71 intercity trains. A total of 3,500 employees have been deployed for monitoring and emergency response, with an additional 2,000 staff members on standby.
“The spike in temperatures is caused by a mass of hot air moving northward from the Sahara, intensified by a strong anticyclonic system known as the ‘African anticyclone.’ Meteorologists note that this system creates a so-called ‘heat dome,’ which traps hot air over Western and Central Europe and allows temperatures to rise day after day,” the agency’s report states.
In Germany, where temperatures reached 38 degrees, thunderstorms and power outages were reported during mass events in Berlin.
Meanwhile, in Belgium, wildlife centers are reporting an overload of injured animals, mainly young birds, with about 150 having been brought in over the past few days.
Thermal and waterproofing materials in Ukraine since the beginning of 2025 have gone up in price by 15-20%, the volume of demand remains stable, Sweetondale sales directorate head Alexander Manuylo told the Interfax-Ukraine agency.
“In 2025 in the segment of heat and waterproofing materials there were several price increases – in general by 15-20% depending on the product category. This is for the first time in four years of war and is mainly due to rising prices for energy resources, equipment and raw materials imported from outside Ukraine,” he said.
As for demand, according to the company, it generally remains stable, and in some sales channels it is even growing. For example, despite the active hostilities on the territory of Ukraine, the direction of industrial logistics complexes is rapidly developing. Thermal modernization of the old housing stock continues. Of the negative factors, the expert noted a tangible lack of funding for international reconstruction programs, in particular USAID, in 2025.
“For our part, we continue to complete state infrastructure projects and support the construction of fortification facilities. Unfortunately, there is a new category of facilities that were built during the war, but suffered significant damage and, accordingly, require renovation and restoration,” Manuilo added.
The structure of clients in 2025 has also changed: the market of new residential high-rise construction is no better. Prospects for the next year in the company have always been assessed by the number of new pits, but they state that in the presence of a significant number of permits for new construction now there are very few new pits.
The market is feeling the positive impact of government rebuilding programs, but their scale and speed of implementation do not match the needs at hand. “Businesses and citizens are now largely taking the initiative, whereas government support could be a more effective catalyst for recovery. Government support in our segment is mainly focused on the rehabilitation and thermo-modernization of social and educational institutions,” says Manuilo.
Thermal insulation materials (mineral wool and extruded polystyrene foam), on which the energy efficiency and comfort of projects directly depend, remain the most popular items. No less relevant is waterproofing, as more and more attention is paid to the reliable protection of buildings, including underground shelters.
Sweetondale is expanding its product line. In particular, 2025 has already introduced a new product – bitumen-polymer primer, and soon it is planned to launch a line of mastics, which will allow to comprehensively cover the needs of customers in the field of waterproofing solutions.
According to Manuilo, the company leads the Ukrainian market in all key product categories (up to 50%) and is working to expand exports. “The main priority for us has always been and remains the Ukrainian consumer: we are primarily focused on providing the domestic market with quality materials. At the same time we are increasing export volumes. Our products are already represented in Moldova, Romania, Poland, the Baltic States and Scandinavia. They are highly appreciated for their quality and compliance with international standards. This confirms the competitiveness of our materials not only in Ukraine, but also abroad,” he said.
According to Opendatabot, the authorized capital of Zavod “Sweetondale” LTD (“Zavod ”Sweetondale” LTD) is UAH 13.5 million, for 2024 the company received revenue of UAH 1.9 billion, which is 16.4% higher than the results of 2023, net profit amounted to UAH 314.2 million, which is 6% lower than the results of 2023.
Sweetondale was founded in 2012 by Gary Alan Stern. It initially specialized in industrial equipment engineering and leasing. Negotiations to acquire the plants owned by Russia’s Technonikol began in 2015 and were finalized in February 2018. Today, the company includes three plants for the production of roofing and thermal insulation materials: a plant for the production of mineral insulation in Cherkassy, a plant for the production of polymer insulation and a plant for the production of bitumen-polymer roll materials in Kamenskoye.
Extreme heat can reduce the range of an electric car by 31%, according to a report by Recurrent Auto, a company specializing in testing batteries for electric cars.
Recurrent experts have analyzed the battery readings of 7.5 thousand cars and found that at an air temperature of 27 degrees Celsius, the range is reduced relative to the maximum by almost 2.8%, at 32 degrees – by 5%, and at 38 degrees the drop can reach 31%.
At the same time, the data on the dynamics of charge consumption in conditions of 38-degree heat are extremely limited and need to be clarified, the company said, adding that if necessary, they will adjust the indicator on the basis of subsequent measurements.
The use of air conditioning, in turn, reduces the range only to a small extent. At the same time, reducing the temperature in the cabin by 7 degrees will require less energy than increasing it by 10 degrees.
Monday, April 24, it will be cloudy with clearing in Ukraine. At night, no precipitation, during the day on the left bank, in the Crimea and the Carpathian region short rains, thunderstorms, in the rest of the territory in some places light rain, said Ukrhydrometecenter.
Winds are mostly southeasterly, 5-10 m/s.
The temperature at night is 3-8°C, during the day it will be 14-19°C, in the Carpathians it’s about 0°C at night, while during the day it will be 6-11°C.
Cloudy with clear skies in Kiev on Monday. No precipitation at night, light rain in some places during the day. Wind south-east, 5-10 m/s. The temperature at night is 6-8°C, while during the day – 16-18°C.
According to the Central Geophysical Observatory. The highest daytime temperature in Kiev on April 24 was 27.0 in 1950, the lowest night-time temperature was -2.2 in 1893.
Tuesday, April 25, it will be cloudy with clear skies in Ukraine.
Intermittent rains in the western and eastern regions, sometimes with thunderstorms during the day, heavy rains in the Carpathian region in some places, no precipitation in the rest of the territory.
Winds are mostly south, 5-10 m/s.
The temperature at night is 4-9° warm; during the daytime it is 15-20°, in the west and east of the country – 9-14°,
In the Carpathian highlands, moderate to heavy rain with sleet in places, the temperature at night and daytime is 1-6° warm.
Cloudy with clear skies in Kiev on Tuesday. No precipitation. The wind is south, 5-10 m/s. The temperature at night is 7-9°, and 17-19° during the day.
Moderately cool weather is expected in Ukraine in the next 24 hours.
According to Ukrgidromettsentr, on Monday, October 17, there will be no precipitation in Ukraine. In the western, central and eastern regions, it is foggy in places at night and in the morning. Wind southwest, in the southern part northeast, 5-10 m/s.
The temperature at night is from 3° to 2° below zero, in the extreme west and south of the country 3-8° warm; in the daytime 13-18°, in the western regions in some places up to 22°, in the north of the Left Bank 10-14°.
In Kyiv on Monday without precipitation. Wind southwest, 5-10 m/s. Temperature at night 1-3° warm, daytime 15-17°.
According to the Central Geophysical Observatory. Boris Sreznevsky in Kyiv on October 17, the highest temperature during the day (24.0 °) was in 2018, the lowest at night (-5.8 °) in 1976.
Tuesday, October 18, no precipitation in Ukraine. Wind southwest with transition to northwest, 5-10 m/s. Night temperature 0-5° heat, in western and northern regions 5-10°; daytime 15-20°.
In Kyiv on Tuesday no precipitation. Wind southwest with transition to northwest, 5-10 m/s. Temperature at night 8-10 ° heat; in the afternoon 17-19 °.
