We suspected that 2024 would not have been stingy with precipitation and warmer than usual, which Météo-France experts confirmed for Lot-et-Garonne. It thus enters the top 10 hottest years in average temperatures since 1950, and more precisely in 7th place, with + 0.77 ° C above normal, almost on par with 2003 (+ 0.75 ° C). ).
“The year 2024 was, as one could imagine, rainier than normal, with a slight deficit of sunshine. On the other hand, despite the feelings we may have had, it was a year much warmer than normal overall. This is in line with climate change. A sign of this change, 9 of the 10 hottest years for Lot-et-Garonne occurred after 2010,” summarizes Laurent Feuillatre, forecaster and climatologist at Météo-France.
The winter was very mild, it froze two to three times less than normal”
The most significant anomaly is found in minimum temperatures (+1.28°C above normal). “This is due, on the one hand, to a very mild winter; it froze two to three times less than normal (in Agen, 16 days with frost, for a normal of 35). On the other hand, the weather was often disrupted with cloudy nights, which limited nighttime cooling. We can note a remarkable period of mildness, between January 22 and March 3, with 42 consecutive days without frost in Agen. »
For maximum temperatures, the anomaly is more modest (+0.27°C above normal). The hottest day was August 11 (38.5°C recorded in Aiguillon). The number of days of extreme heat (above 30°C) is within normal limits (32 days for example in Agen).
So much water…
Concerning precipitation, 2024 ranks 14th among the rainiest years since 1950, with an excess of precipitation of 15% across the department (on average, it rained 920 mm in 2024, for a normal of 800 mm ). “There were more rainy days than usual: we recorded 120 to 140 days of rain. Normally, it's between 110 and 120 days. » The wettest day was October 17, when 45 to 70 mm of precipitation was recorded. In some places, what usually falls in a month fell in one day (in Prayssas, 73 mm was recorded on October 17, for a monthly normal of 68 mm).
“This generally disrupted weather has had an impact on sunshine,” notes Météo-France. In Agen, we noted, over the year, 1,892 hours of sunshine for a normal of 2,019 hours, or between 6 and 7% deficit.
Finally, two storms directly impacted Lot-et-Garonne in 2024: “Louis”, on February 22, with 95 km/h recorded in Agen; Caetano, on November 21, with 93 km/h in Mauvezin-sur-Gupie and 90 km/h in Agen.
What about 2025? “On average, we should have a warmer and normally humid winter, but this does not exclude short colder or rainy periods,” according to Laurent Feuillatre, who remains cautious about possible scenarios.
