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Mild October "further evidence of climate change"

Mild October

Thursday 03 November 2022

Mild October "further evidence of climate change"

Thursday 03 November 2022


Last month was the equal mildest October since records began in Jersey in 1894.

The average temperature recorded at the Maison St Louis Observatory off Wellington Road was 15.7°C – matching the average Octobers in 2006 and 2014.

The 30-year average from 1991 to 2020 was 13.7°C, placing last month 2°C above average.

The month was also drier and sunnier than average, continuing the trend seen through much of this year.

The island recorded 69.6 mm of rainfall last month, 36.9 mm less than the 30-year average of 106.5 mm.

The previous wettest October was in 2020, when 241.6 mm of rain was recorded, while the driest was in 1969, when just 5.9 mm of rain fell.

When it comes to sunshine, Jersey had 153.8 hours of sunshine last month, almost 20 hours more than the 30-year average between 1991 and 2020.

Before last month, the previous sunniest October was 2018, when the sun shone for a total of 191.8 hours.  

COP27 climate change Egypt.jpg

Pictured: COP27 - the UN's annual conference on climate change - begins in Egypt next week.

In September, Jersey recorded its latest ever ‘tropical night’ when the minimum temperature over the 12th  and 13th of the month only fell to 20.1°C.

Head of Meteorology Paul Aked said: “October’s overall high temperatures have continued to add to a remarkable year of weather so far for the island. 

“We have had exceptional new record-breaking high temperatures in the summer, a new record daytime and night-time high temperature, more days this year than any other year reaching 30°C or more, more ‘tropical nights’ than any other year on record and latest date of a tropical night, where the temperature does not go below 20°C and the local sea temperature has remained above average throughout the entire year so far. 

“We have also seen well below average rainfall for the first ten months of the year with only June recording above, and only just above, average rainfall. 

“While individual events are considered the natural variations in our day-to-day weather, when we bring together all of these we can begin to see a picture of our climate and how it is changing.”  

On Wednesday, the World Metrological Organisation published a report saying that Europe is one of the fastest-heating regions in the world, with temperatures rising over twice the global average in the last 30 years.

The WMO found that temperatures have increased by an average rate of 0.5°C every decade between 1991 and 2021.

Professor Petteri Taalas, secretary general of the WMO said: “Europe presents a live picture of a warming world and reminds us that even well-prepared societies are not safe from impacts of extreme weather events.”

Next week, global leaders will be attending COP27 in Sharm-el-Sheikh, where discussions will focus on COP27 will focus on reducing emissions and helping countries to prepare for and deal with climate change, including securing technical support and funding for developing countries.

Global temperatures have risen 1.1°C and are heading towards 1.5°C, according to the UN’s climate scientists, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

If temperatures rise 1.7°C to 1.8°C above 1850s levels, the IPCC estimates that half the world’s population could be exposed to life-threatening heat and humidity.

Jersey has signed up to the Paris Agreement, which was agreed at COP21 in 2015, which commits the island to produce net-zero carbon emissions – producing no more carbon than it can soak up – by 2050.

Under the Government’s ‘Carbon Neutral Roadmap’, the sale and registration of new petrol and diesel cars will be banned from 2030.

Details of how its £23m ‘Climate Emergency Fund’ will be spent to encourage islanders to move to low-carbon transport and heating will be published next year.

READ MORE...

Balmy statistics: Latest ever 'tropical night' recorded in Jersey

Average Jersey temp rises by 2 degrees in decade

FOCUS: The millions of tonnes of 'blue carbon' in our waters

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