The year 2022 was marked by successive heat waves, record temperatures and 30% less rainfall, according to a new IMSEE report, sparking fears of a dangerous transition into unchartered territory.
The report just released by Monaco statistics agency IMSEE shows a year marked by higher-than-usual average temperatures and significant rainfall deficits.
Tracking by scientists has shown that the trend over the past 50 years has been heat increasing with each consecutive decade and last year was no exception, with the overall average temperature being 1.4ºC hotter than normal. The year-round average now sits at 18.2ºC.
More notable perhaps is the fact that not a single day dropped below freezing in 2022, with the minimum temperature the mildest ever recorded at 5.3ºC, and the average minimum sitting at a balmy 15.6ºC.
Temperatures were above average from May to September, with the hottest day of last year, 20th July, reaching 35.1ºC. Two major heatwaves punctuated the summer from 17th to 21st July then again on its heels from 30th July to 10th August. During these two periods, the minimum temperatures were a toasty 25.9ºC and 24.9ºC, with daytime temperatures regularly over the 31ºC mark.
Three months saw lower temperatures than 2021 – February, March and September – but they were only very slightly lower, being 0.1ºC, 0.4ºC and 0.3ºC respectively.
2022 was also a particularly dry year, with only 476mm of rainfall compared to the norm of 794mm, making it the fourth driest year on record. Rainy days were also significantly less. There were 20 less days with rainfall than to be expected considering averages gleaned over the past three decades. Rainfall totals were less as well, with the maximum of any rainy day only seeing 46mm, three times less than the previous decade averages.
Finally, sunshine prevailed last year, with 7.26 hours of sun per day, compared to 6.97 the previous year, and a cumulative 2,650 hours in total.
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