March 1 marks the end of winter and the official start of spring, at least from a meteorological perspective. Despite the calendar signalling the arrival of spring, a brief look outside confirms that the landscape is not quite ready to embrace the warmer season. National weather service MeteoLux published their seasonal climate report, so what better time to look at this past winter:
On January 17, 2024, Luxembourg faced an extreme episode of freezing rain, prompting a red warning from MeteoLux the night before and the national crisis unit advised residents to stay home unless absolutely necessary. Schools were closed and major disruptions on the transport networks were expected.
In contrast, February brought a noteworthy occurrence with exceptionally mild temperatures. A distinct negative pressure anomaly over Northern Europe, coupled with a prevailing southwest to west flow, contributed to a record-breaking average temperature for the month.
Comparing the winter of 2023/2024 to the reference period of 1991-2020, the overall average temperature in Luxembourg was 4.1°C, indicating a notable increase of 2.2°C.
Total precipitation for the winter reached 268.4 l/m², surpassing the long-term average of 220.6 l/m² by approximately 22%. While December 2023 witnessed below-average precipitation, January and February exceeded their respective averages. The peak daily precipitation occurred on January 23, 2024, with a recorded amount of 23.2 l/m².
On the other hand, this winter saw a decrease in sunshine hours, totalling only 124.8 hours, approximately 28% less than the reference period’s average. December and February were particularly overcast, with January surpassing its average sunshine hours by 27%. In case you ever wondered why Luxembourg has such grey weather, we reached out to an expert who explained the country’s situation to us.
In summary, Luxembourg’s winter of 2023/2024 was characterised by mild temperatures, increased precipitation, and reduced sunshine. The standout aspect was the unprecedented warmth in February, establishing it as the warmest month on record at Findel since weather recordings began in 1947.
