It has never rained as much in Vienne as in 2024. According to Météo France data, the department has broken its rainfall record since 1959. But despite historically low sunshine, average annual temperatures continue to rise.
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“2024 is among the ten rainiest years in France“, announces Matthieu Sorel, climatologist from Météo France. The department of Vienne is no exception. Since the start of Météo France’s records, it has never rained so much. But at the same time, a sign of a increasingly impactful global warming, it is also one of the hottest years on record.
In Vienne, the year 2024 will have been, more than ever, rainy. No less than 957 mm of precipitation was recorded there. This is 31% more than the average for other years when it rains at a rate of 728 mm. A year of record rain since 1959 and the first records from Météo France. Across the entire Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, rainfall records indicate a year of rain 23% higher than average.
According to data from Météo France, Vienne experienced its wettest year since 1959.
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© France Télévisions
For farmers, the consequences are terrible. “We have a lot of trouble finishing our productionstestifies Amélie Lhomont of the Confédération paysanne de la Vienne. Some had difficulty sowing. Others have had a lot of grass, but it is not qualitative, which leads to problems with milk production.“When there is plenty of rain for a whole year, the”managing water quantity is quite difficult“, she assures.
For their part, fishermen are positive about this record year. “For us, the more water we have in the rivers, the better.“, explains Brice Nowosielski of the Vienna Fishing Federation. He considers that this record year is good news for the environment, which has been plagued by droughts in recent years. “All these floods are rather beneficial to our rivers since they will modify habitats, purify the bottom of the rivers and allow fish to access their breeding areas.“, explains the fisherman.
The map of the state of groundwater as of December 1, 2024.
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© France Télévisions with the Geological and Mining Research Bureau (BRGM)
After having reached worrying levels for a long time, the groundwater tables have also been full. In the region, according to the report from the Geological and Mining Research Bureau (BRGM) on the state of groundwater as of 1is December 2024, the levels are high, even very high.
Alongside this year of record rain, sunshine has been very low. In Vienne and Deux-Sèvres, 1,690 hours of sunshine were recorded, when it usually shines on average 1,927 hours. This represents a year with 12% less sunshine than normal, unheard of since 1993.
Despite gloomy skies, the average annual temperature continues to rise. Across the entire Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, an increase of 0.9°C was noted compared to reference years. Across France, “It’s a year that ends in the five hottest years on record”notes Météo France climatologist, Matthieu Sorel. When in 1963 the average annual temperature was 10.5°C, in 2022 it would be 14.4°C. In all, nine of the ten hottest years on record occurred after 2010. Further proof, if any were needed, of climate change.
