- The period June-August had an average temperature of 25.7°C and an anomaly of +1.2°C
- This quarter was the fourth warmest, along with 2015, since 1961, after the summers of 2022 (26.2ºC), 2023 (26.1º C) and 2003 (26.0ºC).
- The rainfall, with an average rainfall of 53.2 l/m2, has been very humid
- The Government delegate has visited the Territorial Delegation of AEMET, where she has announced an investment of 200,000 euros to replace three weather stations in Cartagena, Lorca and Cieza
September 20, 2024. The delegate of the Government, Mariola Guevara, visited this morning the Territorial Delegation of the State Agency of Meteorology in the Region of Murcia, where she announced an investment of the Government of Spain of 200,000 euros for the replacement and change of location of three meteorological stations in Cartagena, Lorca and Cieza.
“It is about renovating some of the meteorological stations, in some cases almost 30 years old, and defining a prototype of an automatic meteorological station that meets all the standards defined by the World Meteorological Organization and by other bodies involved in meteorological observation,” explained Guevara.
The project affects 136 weather stations throughout Spain and must be completed by 2026. The amount of this project is 9.6 million euros for the whole network.
In the case of the Region of Murcia, there are three meteorological stations to replace so that the measures are as representative as possible and the new locations will be the Military Arsenal of Cartagena, the Integrated Center of Training and Agrarian Experiences (CIFEA) of Lorca and the Los Prados de Cieza Polygon.
The delegate of the Government, accompanied by the territorial delegate of AEMET, Juan Esteban Palenzuela, has toured the facilities, has been interested in the equipment and working methods of the state agency and has advanced some meteorological details of the summer and the prediction for the autumn.
Guevara has reported that the autumn will happen next Sunday 22 to a summer that has been the fourth warmest of the last 64 years in the Region of Murcia, where an average temperature of 25.7°C has been recorded, and that has had a very humid rainfall, with an average rainfall of 53.2 l/m2, which means 167% of average value, the delegate of the Government reported this morning.
According to him, this quarter was the fourth warmest, next to 2015, since 1961, after the summers of 2022 (26.2ºC), 2023 (26.1º C) and 2003 (26.0ºC).
The average of the maximum temperatures of the quarter was 32.4°C, with an anomaly of +1.0°C, which is the eighth highest value of, at least, the last 64 years. The average of the minimums was 19.1°C, with an anomaly of +1.4°C, being the second warmest of the whole series, after 2023 with 19.4°C.
Regarding the average temperatures, the month of June was warm, and the months of July and August were very warm. June had an average temperature of 22.7°C and an anomaly of +0.3°C; July, 27.3°C and anomaly of +1.8°C, and August had an average temperature of 27.2°C, with an anomaly of +1.5°C.
The average temperatures of the months of July (27.3ºC) and August (27.2ºC) were the third highest of their respective series, and the average of the minimum temperatures of August (20.6ºC and anomaly +1.7ºC), was the highest of its series, surpassing by one tenth the previous ephemeris, recorded in 2015.
On average, the warmest day of the quarter was August 1 and the coolest on June 12.
During this quarter he highlighted the persistence of the above normal values of the minimum temperatures, especially the minimum ones from June 5 to 11, from July 10 to August 15 and from August 19 to 31. The evolution of the maximum temperatures of the quarter highlighted the warm episodes from June 4 to 8, from July 18 to 21, and from July 27 to August 14, as well as the brief cool episode from June 11 to 13.
The averages of the highest peak temperatures of the quarter were observed on July 20 and 31 and August 1, being very close these three days to 40.0°C on average in the Region. The absolute maximum of the quarter, 44.2°C, was recorded at the Alhama “Comarza” station, on August 1. On the other hand, the average of the lowest maximum temperatures was observed on June 11 and 12, being the lowest maximum of the quarter 17.9°C, recorded in Inazares, Moratalla, on June 11.
The highest average minimum temperature was recorded on August 1, but the highest minimum temperature in the quarter was observed on July 30 in Mazarrón with 28.3°C. The lowest mean minimum temperatures were reached on June 13, although the absolute minimum of the quarter, 8.1°C, was recorded on June 2 in Inazares, Moratalla.
Palenzuela has detailed that during this summer more tropical nights than usual have been registered again. At the San Javier observatory, 73 tropical nights were observed, the average value being 59 nights. It is the second highest value, along with that of 2003, after 2017 (78 nights).
At the observatory of Murcia, 76 tropical nights were recorded. With a normal value of 59 nights, it was the second highest value after 2012 (77 nights), equalling 2023. At the Alcantarilla observatory, 68 tropical nights were observed, one night more than the previous anniversary corresponding to 2023. Of these tropical nights, fourteen were torrides in San Javier, six in Murcia, and three in Alcantarilla.
Precipitation
This summer was the fifth wettest in the 21st century, after the years 2010 (95.0 l/m2), 2002 (57.2 l/m2), 2017 (55.5 l/m2) and 2018 (53.4 l/m2).
The month of June, with an average rainfall of 39.9 l/m2, was very humid, with 75% of the rainfall accumulated in the quarter, being the ninth month of June more humid since 1961 and the third of the 21st century. The month of July, with an average rainfall of 1.7 l/m2, was normal, and August, with 11.6 l/m2, was wet.
More than 70 l/m2 were accumulated in several areas of the Region, even exceeding 100 l/m2 in points of the Northwest region, and the environment of Murcia. Where the most precipitation accumulated during the quarter was in Calasparra, with 134.8 l/m2. On the contrary, the lowest values were observed in different areas of the center and south of the Region, with accumulations below 20 l/m2.
The two most important precipitation episodes were recorded from June 10 to 13 and from August 13 to 15, in which very strong precipitation intensities were reached, especially on June 12 and August 14, which were the days of greatest accumulated precipitation. They also highlighted the torrential rainfall recorded on July 7 in Inazares, accumulating 81.5 l/m2, practically in one hour. Also noteworthy are the precipitations recorded in Puerto Lumbreras, on August 14, collecting 54.2 l/m2, of which 53.4 l/m2 accumulated in just one hour.
The maximum monthly rainfall, 133 l/m2, was recorded in the month of June in Calasparra. The maximum daily rainfall of the quarter, 81.5 l/m2, on July 7 in Inazares, Moratalla.
In the AEMET network of automatic stations, the maximum recorded intensity in one hour was 53.4 l/m2 on August 14 in Puerto Lumbreras, and the maximum accumulated precipitation in 10 minutes was 36.6 l/m2, measured on June 12 at the Murcia observatory.
During the summer, twenty-eight days of storm were recorded, more than the average value, of which 12 days were in June and August, and 4 in July. The total number of downloads was 4076, of which 2750 were observed in June, 96 in July and 1230 in August. The day of greatest electrical activity was on August 14 with 910 discharges. It is the third summer with the highest number of discharges after 2002 and 2023, and the fifth highest value in storm days next to the years 2018 and 2021. Hail was recorded on 6, 8, 10 and 12 June and on 14 August.
Ephemerides
The monthly rainfall accumulated in the month of June, at the Murcia observatory, 102.2 l/m2, has exceeded the previous ephemeris, 83.9 l/m2, registered in June 1992.
AGRICULTURAL YEAR (1 September 2023 to 31 August 2024)
At the end of the agricultural year, the cumulative rainfall from 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2024 was 146.6 l/m2, which is 47% of the average rainfall for this period, giving it a very dry rainfall. It was the third driest agricultural year after the years 2013-2014 and 1993-1994.
Advance September 2024 in the Region of Murcia.
The beginning of the month, until day 4, was marked by the passage of a deep vaguada that destabilized the atmosphere giving rise to showers and storms in areas of the west and north of the Region of Murcia. After a couple of days under the influence of a drier air mass, the eruption of a humid flow from the southwest resulted in abundant cloudiness and weak or moderate precipitation in large areas during days 7 and 8.
Later, a more zonal circulation and the influence of a dorsal stabilized the atmosphere giving rise to mostly clear skies except for some low cloudiness and weak or moderate precipitation on days 13 and 14, induced by humidity carried by the rising wind after a cold discharge over the Mediterranean. From day 17, a blockade situation allowed the retrograde displacement of the Boris borrasca from Central Europe to the west and the approach of a DANA to the southwest of the peninsula.
In the first 18 days of September, an average rainfall of 11 l/m2 was recorded in the Region, 39% of the median value for the whole month of September. If it did not rain any more, the character of the month would be very dry.
Where the most precipitation was recorded, above 20 l/m2, was in the regions of the Altiplano and points of the Northwest and the region of the littoral-Mar Menor. The season with the highest cumulative rainfall was Jumilla, with 61 l/m2. On the contrary, they did not reach 5 l/m2 in large areas of the Region.
The rainfall in general was in the form of rainfall accompanied by storm, reaching very strong intensities, such as, for example, on day 1, in Cehegín and on day 3, in Jumilla.
The maximum daily rainfall was recorded in Jumilla, on day 3, with 54.6 l/m2, of which 53.6 l/m2 accumulated in 1 hour, and 21.8 l/m2 in just 10 minutes, being the highest intensities of the fortnight.
It also highlighted the precipitation of day 1 in Cehegín, with more than 30 l/m2 in 1 hour, of which 12.3 l/m2 fell in just 10 minutes. And the 42.3 l/m2 accumulated in the early morning of day 4, in San Pedro del Pinatar.
It has been recorded 4 days with storm, from 1 to 4, with 616 cloud-to-ground discharges. The day with the highest number of downloads was day 3 with a total of 367 downloads.
Mud rain has been observed on days 2 and 8.
HYDROLOGICAL YEAR (from October 1, 2023 to September 18, 2024)
The rainfall from October 1, 2023 to September 18, 2024, 123.6 l/m2, represents 39% of the normal value for the whole hydrological year, if it did not rain more it would be extremely dry,