2024 was among the warmest - and wettest - years on record in France
An end-of-year report by the state weather service highlights extensive floods and a ‘remarkable lack of sunshine’
2024 was one of the 10 wettest years since 1959 with several major floods in the Hauts-de France and the south-west
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France saw one of the warmest and wettest years on record in 2024 marked by extensive floods and a “remarkable lack of sunshine”, according to an end of year report by state weather service Météo France.
A warm year…
The average temperature in 2024 was 1C above the norm for the period 1991 to 2020 at 14C making the year one of the five warmest since measurements began in 1900.
The year saw twice as many days that were warmer than normal than it did days that were colder than normal, which “confirms the trend of global warming”, states the report published in December 2024.
“Nine out of 10 of the warmest years on record in France date from after 2010. On a planetary scale,
2024 will almost certainly be the hottest year on record.”
The report adds that by 2050 the mean annual temperature in France is expected to rise by 2.7C over 2024 levels and by up to 4C by 2100.
…but with little sunshine
2024 was remarkable for its lack of sunshine, placing the year as the least sunny of the past 30 years, the report states
“The sun was particularly absent in February, May, September and October, especially in the northern half of the country.”
The year’s overall sunshine levels were around 10% below normal and close to the historically low levels of 1987, 1992, 1993 and 1994.
A particularly wet year
The year saw an average rainfall of over 1,000 mm across the country, with a surplus of around 15%, making it one of the 10 wettest years since 1959.
“After a relatively normal winter, spring 2024 was the wettest since 2008, and the fourth wettest since measurements began in 1959.
“While summer was also close to normal albeit dominated by stormy spells, September saw abundant rainfall across the country (+60% over the norms of 1991 to 2020), making it the wettest September in twenty-five years”
In Châteaudun (Eure-et-Loir), Blois (Loir-et-Cher) and Paris, 2024 was the second wettest year on record.
Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique) saw more than 1,100mm of precipitation.
The wet year led to higher groundwater levels leading to saturation and flooding in the Hauts-de-France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Grand-Est regions.
Read more: Valencia's floods are a wake-up call for France
While the report states that these floods are likely to continue in years to come, they are expected to become less frequent and shorter.
However, drought episodes are set to become increasingly frequent and intense.
Low snowfall in the Alps and Pyrenees
Snowfall varied significantly between the Alps and Pyrenees, with “remarkably high levels of” snow at high altitudes (above 2,500m) and “particularly low” levels at lower altitudes.
In the Alps, higher altitudes (above 2,500m) saw the fourth highest snowfall, while lower altitudes the 15th lowest since records began in 1959.
In the Pyrenees, snowfall was low at all altitudes, with the seventh and 10th lowest values since 1959 at altitudes of 1,500m and 2,400m.
