Particularly high rainfall totals
While high pressures dominate France at the end of the year, no significant rain is expected between now and the start of 2025 in our country, a situation which contrasts sharply with what we have experienced in recent years. recent months.
Indeed, the year 2024 was marked by particularly disturbed weather over the vast majority of the country, the fault of a particularly active and above all persistent ocean flow, bringing its share of rains on a very recurring basis.
Average pressures between April and October 2024 over Europe – Climate Reanalyzer
This very disturbed oceanic influence also lasted for an entire sliding year on our country, beginning during the second half of October 2023 and persisting until October 2024. Since the beginning of the month of November however, high pressures regain the upper hand more easily over part of Western Europe and above all settle in more lastingly than what we have experienced in recent months, like the end of the year calm and dry throughout France.
Thus, this very humid and disrupted weather persisting until the end of October 2024 brought particularly significant accumulations over almost all of France.
Total precipitation in France since January 1, 2024 – Weather-Cities
It is particularly near the eastern reliefs, around the Massif Central as well as near the Pyrenees that these accumulations are most notable, often exceeding 1000/1200mm in these sectors, locally more than 1800 or even 2000mm in the lowest areas. more exposed such as the border massifs of the Alps, the approaches to the Ardèche or certain sectors of the Pyrenees. In the rest of the country, we have generally recorded between 600 and 900mm since the start of the year and only certain sectors of Roussillon have recorded less than 500mm in 2024, such as in Narbonne (11) where we have recorded 465.1mm since the 1st. January, or 27% less than the 1991-2020 normal.
Across France, the accumulations are for the most part significantly higher than the 1991-2020 normals as in Nice where we have exceeded 1000mm since January 1 (normal of 791mm) or again in Paris where we recorded 900.9mm this year, far exceeding the 1991-2020 average of 634mm. It had never rained so much in a calendar year in Paris, this value representing a record since the beginning of meteorological records in 1873!
Record precipitation in Paris since meteorological records began – via Meteoexpress
One of the wettest years since records began
The cumulative amount since January 1st exceeds 1000mm on average across the country, representing a rainfall surplus of around 15%. Also, the soils remained wetter than normal for 8 months, between March and October, particularly on an axis going from Aquitaine to the Grand-Est, unheard of in 30 years.
It is in fact between March and October that the precipitation was most recurrent and abundant in our country, as evidenced by the evolution of the national rainfall indicator.
Evolution of the national rainfall indicator in France since January 1 – Via infoclimat.fr
As a result, the year 2024 ranks 10th among the wettest years ever observed since meteorological records began. Also, this year 2024 is the second rainiest year of the 21st century, ahead of the years 2014, 2008, 2001 and 2002 but not reaching the levels of the year 2000, a year when the average national total had far exceeded 1050mm .
Ranking of the wettest years in France since 1959 – Météo-France
We will note the enormous contrast with the year 2022, which had on the contrary been the second driest year in France since 1959 and which had been marked by the 3rd longest period of soil drought in its history.
Significant episodes
Due to an excessively rainy year, numerous significant episodes have been observed across the country since January 1st.
We remember, for example, the floods at the beginning of the year in the North of France, with certain municipalities finding themselves under water on a very recurring basis since the end of the previous year, or the successive Mediterranean episodes during the month of March. in the South-East of the country, a very unusual recurrence at this time of year.
Flood of the Ardèche in Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche this Sunday March 10, 2024 – photo Élisabeth Goussard
Among the most notable episodes, we can notably note the major floods affecting the North-East of France around mid-May, heavy rains (up to more than 100mm in 24 hours) affecting this sector while the soils were already saturated with water from the successive disturbances of the previous months.
1 meter of water in the streets of Bouzonville (57) mid-morning on May 17, 2024 – Photography: Bouzonville town hall
We also remember the devastating torrential floods affecting Isère, particularly near the Oisans massif, at the start of the calendar summer, with heavy stormy rains coinciding with significant melting of the snow cover at altitude.
Hamlet of Berarde (Isère) devastated by the Etançons torrent – June 21, 2024 – Twitter SDIS38
However, it was certainly the month of October which was the most significant in terms of rain and floods in France. Between October 9 and 10, for example, the passage of ex-Hurricane Kirk caused record rainfall and major flooding between the mouth of the Loire and Belgium via Ile-de-France.
Remarkable rainfall totals in Trappes and Paris this Wednesday, October 9, 2024 – Weather Cities
Around mid-October, it was in the South-East that the most significant rainy episode of the year, and even of recent years, occurred.
Between October 15 and 18, the accumulations sometimes exceeded 650/700mm on the Ardèche side, sometimes more than 300mm in the South of the Alps and locally more than 100mm in less than 24 hours in Lyon, leading to major flooding in these sectors, particularly between Ardèche, Lozère, Loire and Haute-Loire.
Accumulated precipitation during the episode of mid-October 2024 over the South-East – Météo-France
Find other notable rainy episodes during this year 2024 in our column >>
