The year 2024 will go down in the annals of Paris weather records as the wettest on record since measurements began in 1873. With a provisional total rainfall of 900.9 millimeters, the French capital surpassed the previous record set in 2000 (900.8 mm), according to data from Météo-France.
Record rainfall in Paris in 2024
This historic record was achieved thanks to light drizzle on the night of December 24-25. Above all, however, this meteorological performance reflects a year marked by a succession of intense and prolonged rainy episodes. In spring 2024, for example, rainfall was 70% above normal, with more than 350 mm accumulated over the season. Autumn, meanwhile, stood out as the wettest since 1986, with soils reaching record moisture levels in December.
The wettest months were marked by unusual weather phenomena. In October, the Kirk low-pressure system triggered an exceptional episode with 70 mm of rain in a single day, the equivalent of a whole month’s rainfall. Furthermore, between October 2023 and May 2024, every month recorded rainfall in excess of 60 mm, a series unseen since the opening of the Parc Montsouris station.
With an estimated rainfall anomaly of between +44% and +48% compared with annual averages, Paris illustrates the climatic upheavals affecting the whole of France. This record could change again between now and the end of the year, but it already confirms that 2024 will be remembered as a turning point in the capital’s climatic history.