Last year was the third hottest year in Monaco’s recorded history, just behind 2022 and 2023. Every decade since the 1970s has broken heat records in Monaco, and a recent report confirms that this trend is continuing. The Monegasque Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (IMSEE) recently released a weather report for 2021-2024. The average maximum temperature was 20.4°C during this period and the average minimum was 15.7°C. The highest temperature was 35.3°C and the lowest was 4.1°C, making two records: one for heat and one for cold. In 2024, the average temperature was 17.9°C, or +1.1°C higher compared to the 1991-2020 average.
Mild winter, cold Spring
The beginning of 2024 was particularly mild, with record temperatures broken, notably in February, which is ranked as the third warmest February since 1990, with a minimum temperature of 8.4°C. From May until mid-July, temperatures remained below seasonal norms.
Hot summer, cold Autumn
Then, the summer was marked by high temperatures and two heatwaves between late July and mid-August. The first occurred from July 29 to August 1, and the second from August 10 to 14, with a record temperature set of 35.3°C recorded at the Jardin Exotique station, surpassing the 35.1°C recorded in July 2022.
In contrast, September and October saw a notable cooling, accompanied by frequent rain. Finally, the last two months of the year were marked by high minimum temperatures, with the lowest being 6.8°C in December.
While 2024 was very warm, it was slightly cooler than the two previous years (17.9°C in 2024, 18.0°C in 2023 and 18.2°C in 2022). Average minimum temperatures, while still high, follow the same trend: 15.7°C in 2024, 15.8°C in 2023 and 16.2°C in 2022 (a record-breaking year).
Significantly Less Sunshine in 2024
In 2024, the sun shone less frequently, averaging 5.6 hours per day, a decrease of 22.6% compared to 2023! Over the year, this represented 2,059 hours of sunshine, or 600 hours less than the previous year.
August was the brightest month with 246 hours of sunshine, down 52 hours compared to 2023. October was the least sunny with only 119 hours (-73 hours). September recorded the largest decrease (-99 hours), while February remained stable with only one hour less sunshine. No month escaped this downward trend in 2024.
15% more Rain
There was 1,016 mm of rainfall in 2024, a 15% increase compared to the 2011-2020 period when 883 mm were recorded. This year thus marks the end of a four year rainfall deficit with 66 rainy days, 20 more than the previous year and 2.5 days more than the decade 2011-2020. This makes 2024 one of the twelve wettest years since 1966.
The single-day rainfall record was reached in February with 69.4 mm, well above the maximum recorded in 2023 (47.3 mm), but significantly below the records set prior to 2020. Seven out of twelve months saw excess rainfall compared to the previous year.
Finally, compared to 2023, maximum temperatures were higher six months out of twelve, with particularly marked differences in February (+4.4°C), January (+3.5°C), April (+3°C), and September (+2.7°C).
