In recent years it seems we've seen more and more "extreme" conditions: floods one spring followed by dry spells. Do Czechs, as other central Europeans, have to get used to more extreme weather in the future?

"I think that's true. That is the reason why we as climatologists speak so often about climate change. In Central Europe we can speak about extremes: it's not important whether the average mean temperature will be two or six degrees above normal. What is important are the extremes."

If you're interested please look up details at the institute's website where you can find out about areas threatened by the danger of forest fires or view a map of areas with low moisture levels in the soil. The website to visit is www.chmi.cz where you'll find information in both English and Czech.