As announced on Meteolux’s tweet, comparing spring 2024 to the measured time period from 1991 to 2020, this past spring has been too rainy, the temperatures have been too mild yet there wasn’t enough sunshine either.
March, April and May were dominated by low-pressure conditions: the rainfall percentages in March and May were too excessive, in particular the 17 May 2024, where continuing and heavy rainfalls caused floods, primarily in regions surrounding the Alzette.
The cut-off trough above the Gulf of Biscay provoked a low pressure area over Germany, thus increasing humidity in Luxembourg.
Most concerned by heavy rains were the German regions in the south third and central Germany, with 50 to 70 l/m2.
Concerning the temperature, the average was 10.4 degrees, which is 0.8 degrees higher than between 1991 to 2020. The highest recorded temperature was 24.7°C in May, the lowest was -1.2°C in early March. Other than that, March was 2.2°C over the average temperature, frost days were clearly under the longstanding minimum of 10.5 days.
Paradoxically, although the temperatures were too mild overall, there haven’t been any summer days over 25°C, there should have been 3.5 days.
Rainfall in spring 2024 was over the roof - all in all, 306.3 l/m2 of rain were measured, which is 71% over the the average amount measured between 1991 and 2020, a humble 179 l/m2.
The expected rainfall percentages were way over in March and May, April was still in the average realms. It was the second heaviest precipitation sum since 1947, the record however is still held by May 1988, with 200.9 l/m2.
It is no surprise to anyone that there weren’t enough sun hours from March to May. The supposed average is around 560 hours, yet there were only roughly 387 hours this spring. Since the recordings began in 1947, 2024 marks the second spring who was poorest in sunshine. March, April and May were lacking in sunshine compared to the average calculations.
So, the previous preliminary report done by Meteolux was quite accurate unfortunately, the rain and mild temperatures remained a consistent factor.
