A meteorological summer in a trompe l’oeil. Despite rain across the north of France, rather cool temperatures in the north-west and relatively short and very localised heat waves in the south-east, the summer of 2024 was once again warmer than normal. According to Météo-France, which published its results for the June-July-August period on Monday 2 September, the average temperature was 0.7°C higher than that of the 1991-2020 period (+0.6°C in July; +1.5°C in August). A milder season than the three hottest summers measured (2003, +2.7°C; 2022, +2.3°C and 2018, +1.5°C) but which remains “in the trajectories of the 21st centurymy century “according to Christine Berne, climatologist at Météo-France.
“Summer 2024 is the third consecutive summer above seasonal normsThe French institute notes that two heat waves were recorded, one from July 29 to August 2 and another from August 6 to 13. Before 1989, we had an average of one heat wave every five years in our country. Since 2000, they have returned almost every year.
After four heat waves in 2022, including an especially early one in June, and the very late heat wave in August 2023, the summer of 2024 was less extreme, being “only” the eighth warmest since records began (all were measured in the 21st century).my century). In this way, no records were broken and an entire neighborhood in the northwest was saved from the intense heat.
“Tropical” nights
The regions south of the Loire and in the east of the country were particularly hard hit. The second heat wave began on 6 August in the south-east and continued until 14 August, with temperatures between 2 and 4°C above average.
The summer of 2024 in Corsica and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region ranks respectively as the fourth and sixth warmest since nationwide records began in 1947. The July-August period was the second warmest in Nice, behind 2022 and ahead of 2003. Surface water temperatures between Corsica and the mainland even locally exceeded 30°C on 5 August.
However, several indicators followed by climatologists were worrying. Nearly 70% of France has spent at least one night in the cold during the summer “tropical”with a night temperature above 20°C. “It is a proportion of the territory generally similar to the summers of the 21st centurymy century, but much higher than those of the twentieth century.my century “indicates Météo-France.
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