- This year has been the warmest since records existed and the fourth driest in the 21st century
- The rainfall of the quarter, with 102.5 l/m2, has been the wettest of the last five years
- Winter starts at 10.21 am next Saturday
December 17, 2024. At 10.21 am next Saturday, December 21, the winter begins after an autumn quarter that, with an average temperature of 19.0º, has been extremely warm in the Region of Murcia and the wettest of the last five years, with a cumulative rainfall between September and November of 102.5 l/m2, which is 96% of the average value for the same period.
“It has been the third warmest autumn since at least 1961, after the autumn of 2022 and 2023, with 19.5°C and 19.1°C respectively,” explained the Territorial delegate of AEMET, Juan Esteban Palenzuela.
The average of the maximum temperatures of the quarter was 24.3°C, with an anomaly of +1.6°C, the fifth warmest since 1961, after the years 2022, 2023, 1983 and 1981. The average of the lows, 13.8°C and an anomaly of +2.1°C, was the highest in the series, surpassing the previous ephemeris, 13.6°C, recorded in 2022.
The month of September, with an average temperature of 22.6°C and anomaly of +0.8°C, was very warm; October, with 19.0°C and anomaly of +1.5°C, was very warm, and November, with 15.5°C and anomaly +3.1°C, was extremely warm, the warmest of its series.
The warmest days of the fall (the highest average temperature of the quarter in the Region as a whole) were on September 1 and 3, while the coldest were on October 27 and November 13.
In the maximum temperatures, the following warm episodes stood out for their duration and intensity:
• From 25th to 27th September.
• From September 30 to October 9.
• From November 16th to 30th.
The average of the maximum temperatures was below normal only very occasionally.
In the minimum temperatures there were warm episodes throughout the quarter, but they highlighted:
From 1st to 8th September
• From October 3rd to 25th.
• From 29 October to the end of November
The highest maximum temperatures, on average, were observed on September 1 and 10, which followed closely those of September 26 and October 2 and 6, although the absolute maximum of the quarter, 37.9°C, was recorded in Murcia “Alfonso X” on September 13. The lowest peak temperatures in the quarter were observed, on average, on October 27, followed by November 13, but the lowest peak, 6.0°C, was recorded on October 27 in Inazares, Moratalla.
The absolute minimum temperature of the quarter, 1.5°C was recorded on October 28 also in Inazares, Moratalla.
In the observatories of San Javier, Murcia and Alcantarilla 21, 17 and 12 tropical nights respectively have been recorded, taking into account that the normal values are 15, 10 and 7 nights respectively.
Precipitation
This period has been the wettest of the last 5 years. The month of September, with 24.4 l/m2, was normal; October, with 52.4 l/m2, was very humid and November, with 25.7 l/m2, was equally normal.
During this quarter, where more precipitation was recorded was in areas of the Northwest region with accumulations greater than 200 l/m2, with the maximum accumulated precipitation being 251 l/m2 in Caravaca. On the contrary, where less precipitation was recorded, it was in areas of the Vega del Segura, with values close to 50 l/m2, as in the observatory of the Air Base of Alcantarilla, with 49 l/m2.
The most important episodes of the quarter were associated with the presence of Danas:
- In October, from 12 to 15 and from 28 to 29. In the latter, the most important of the quarter due to the amounts collected, 34% of the precipitation of the quarter was accumulated and very strong intensities were reached in several points of the Region.
- In November; day 3, associated with the same Dana that affected the Region on 28 and 29 October; and between 12 and 15.
The highest monthly rainfall was recorded in October, in Las Fuentes del Marqués, Caravaca, with 181 l/m2.
The day with the highest rainfall in the Region was October 28, with 19 l/m2 of average rainfall. The maximum daily rainfall, on a rainfall day, was recorded in Caravaca “Polideportivo”, with 94.4 l/m2, that day. However, the maximum rainfall in 24 hours (civil day) of the whole year was 152.6 l/m2, on October 29 at the station of Fuentes del Marqués, Caravaca.
The highest intensities in one hour and ten minutes of the quarter were recorded in Jumilla, on September 3, with 53.6 l/m2 and 21.8 l/m2 respectively, out of a daily total of 60.4 l/m2.
In this quarter, 1 day of rain with mud deposit has been recorded, on September 8.
20 days of storm were recorded with a total of 3413 discharges. In September, 7 storm days with a total of 821 discharges; in October, 8 storm days with 2352 discharges and in November 5 storm days with a total of 240 discharges. The day with the highest number of downloads of the quarter, with 1818, was on October 29. The average values for the quarter of the 2000-2023 series are: 19 days of storm and 1970 discharges.
Wind
During this quarter, eleven episodes of strong winds have been recorded: 4 in September, 5 in October and 2 in November. The most prominent was the one observed on October 28 and 29 associated with the mesoscale basses on the Alboran Sea, corresponding to the isolated cold basin to which a dana had evolved. This episode was the longest and most intense of the quarter, with winds of east component, which recorded maximum speeds above 90 km/h in several stations of the Region, reaching the maximum quarterly speed, 100 km/h, in the station of Mazarrón “Las Torres”, on the 28th.
Summary 2024
According to Palenzuela, the year 2024 has been extremely warm, the warmest of, at least, the last 64 years, and very dry, “the fourth driest year of the 21st century.”
The provisional average temperature of the year 2024 in the Region of Murcia, considering for the month of December the values observed until day 16 and those predicted until day 25, is 18.2°C, higher by +1.7°C than the average of the reference period, which is an extremely warm character, exceeding by 0.3°C to the previous ephemeris, recorded in 2023. It would therefore be the warmest year of the last 64 and most likely of at least the last 84 years with records
From the thermal behavior of 2024, the following should be highlighted:
• There have not been any months with cold character, not even normal. The months of June and May were warm; February, March, April, July, August, September, October and December very warm and January and November extremely warm, the warmest since at least, 1961. January was the month with the biggest thermal anomaly, +3.2°C, followed by November, with an anomaly of +3.1°C.
The winter (DEF) and autumn (SON) were extremely warm, the warmest of the 64 years of records; the spring (MAM) was very warm, the second warmer, after the year 2023, and the summer (JJA) was very warm, the fifth warmest of its series.
Considering the average regional temperatures, the hottest day of the year was August 1, surpassing next to July 20, the average 39ºC of maxims in the Region, reaching the annual absolute maximum, 44.2°C, in the Alhama “Comarza” station, on August 1.
The coldest day of the year 2024 was January 12, but the absolute minimum was recorded at the Valdehell-Reservoir, Lorca, -7.0°C, on January 8.
Precipitation
The average accumulated rainfall in the Region of Murcia was 208 liters per square meter (l/m2), which is 66% of the normal value, and which would characterize the year as very dry. This year has been the driest of the last seven years.
The month with the highest rainfall was October, with 52.4 l/m2, and the lowest rainfall was July, with only 1.7 l/m2, although if it did not rain more in December, this would be the driest month of the year, with only 0.6 l/m2.
The months of June and October were very humid; August humid; July, September and November normal; January, February and March dry; and April and May very dry. December, if it didn’t rain any more, it would be extremely dry.
The winter (DEF) and spring (MAM) were very dry, the summer (JJA) very humid, and the autumn (SON) normal.
The amounts of precipitation accumulated during the year 2024 exceeded 400 l/m2 in part of the Northwest region. As an example, without including the monthly rainfall of December, in Campo de San Juan, Moratalla, 449 l/m2 have been collected. On the contrary, where less precipitation accumulated was in areas of the south, center and east of the Region, with rainfall below 200 l/m2.
Precipitation in the form of snow was observed on 5 January; on 23, 24 and 26 February; on 2, 9, 26 and 31 March; and on 13 November.
In the Cañada de la Cruz station, 7 days of snow have been recorded during the year 2024, with the average value of the reference period 1991-2020 being 12 days.
The most notable in terms of rainfall was the one accumulated in the September-October-November quarter, which with 102.5 l/m2 accounted for 96% of the average value for that period, and 32% of the annual rainfall. October was the month that contributed the most with 52.4 l/m2, which is 17% of the annual rainfall and 49% of that of the autumn.
There were two important episodes, from June 10 to 13 and on October 28 and 29, in which almost 30 l/m2 were accumulated, as an average rainfall in the Region.
The maximum rainfall in 24 hours (civil day) of the whole year was 152.6 l/m2, on October 29 at the station of Fuentes del Marqués, Caravaca. The maximum quantity in one hour recorded in the network of automatic stations of AEMET was 53.4 l/m2, on August 14 at the station of Puerto Lumbreras, and the maximum quantity in 10 minutes was 36.6 l/m2, on June 12 at the observatory of Murcia.