In Reunion, the weather is dry, much too dry. Raindrops can be counted on the fingers of your hand. And for good reason, in December, the rainfall deficit is almost 80% on average on the island. Ranking the last month of the year as the 3rd driest month in 53 years. A drought that continues in this month of January. Suffice it to say that the rainy season is coming… (Photo: www.imazpress.com)
The drought currently affecting Reunion Island is the result of a lack of precipitation which has lasted for several months.
– All months of the year 2024 with a rain deficit –
If Belal and Candice last January provided abundant recharge, “the 2023-2024 rainy season however ended on a drier note, with the months of February, March and April 2024 in deficit”, indicates Météo France.
Then “the dry season from May to November 2024 was a deficit of around minus 20% compared to the accumulations normally expected during this period”, add the meteorologists.
Very long dry periods noted during these southern winter months, “punctuated by a few rainy episodes that were generally insufficient and too localized”, notes Météo France. For example, the deficits were significant in the north, Salazie, the east and the upper reaches of the northeast, even though these are usually rather humid areas…
– December 2024, 3rd driest month in 53 years –
The month of December 2024 was particularly dry, ranking 3rd among the driest Decembers in 53 years of measurements, with an overall deficit of almost less than 80% compared to seasonal norms.
Many stations recorded record deficits. For example, in Salazie, barely 16 mm was recorded per month, compared to a monthly normal of 281 mm.
At Ilet-à-Cordes in the Cilaos cirque, Météo France recorded 4 mm compared to the usual 107 mm. In Saint-Denis au Chaudron, 8 mm compared to 150 mm normally for the month of December.
In the Takamaka sector, 85 mm compared to 611 mm usually and finally in Pont Mathurin, not a drop fell the entire month of December.
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– A start to 2025 which will also be dry –
The start of 2025 doesn't look much better. Météo France indicates that “with the meager rainfall at the start of the year, Reunion has not yet collected even 10% of the normal for the month of January.
A meager rain which is not and will not be sufficient to replenish the water resources of Reunion Island.
On the island, “past observations show insignificant changes in the annual average precipitation over recent decades in Reunion, except occasionally in the southwest where a drop of -35% was recorded in 60 years of measurements “, notes Météo France.
The “projections for the end of the century allow us to identify an overall downward trend of around -5 to -10% over the year”.
Additionally, the water cycle is expected to become more irregular. “That is to say, very dry periods could follow very rainy episodes, with more marked extremes. This type of pattern would be unfavorable to the regular recharge of underground and surface water reservoirs, and would put in place tension the use of these waters for human activities and the balance of ecosystems.”
In particular, “dry seasons are expected to last longer in the future, similar to what is happening this year,” warn meteorologists.
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Drought, Rain, Weather France
