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Franceinfo looks back at the temperatures in France and Corsica during the past year, which sadly rose to second place for the hottest since records began.
In total, 80% of the days in 2023 were warmer than in the past. This is what our daily updated weather-climate dashboard shows on Sunday, December 31. In detail, the average daily temperature in France and Corsica was higher than that of the period 1971-2000 for 292 days.
“It’s huge; 2023 is once again an exceptional year. Behind 2022, it was the second hottest year since measurements began in France, in 1900”, points out Matthieu Sorel, climatologist at Météo-France. These figures illustrate the impact of global warming, caused by human activities, in France. “There may be natural oscillations, from one year to the next, which are superimposed on this underlying trend”describes the climatologist. “But the main factor is climate change.” The El Niño phenomenon has no impact on our region, but plays a role on a global scale.
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On average, as of December 31, it will therefore have been 2.2°C warmer in mainland France in 2023 than between 1971 and 2000, a period during which human influence on the climate had already begun, but could still be “masked” by spontaneous fluctuations of the climate. And certain regions have seen their temperatures rise more than others: Centre-Val de Loire, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Burgundy-Franche-Comté and Grand Est.
The year 2023 was notably marked by a particularly long summer season, from June to the middle of October, as recalled at the end of November in the climate report for the year established by Météo-France. Several heat waves punctuated the period, including an exceptional one between August 17 and 24. The fall was also very mild, with even two episodes of heat, at the beginning of September and the beginning of October. The year 2023 finally ended with a milder last half of December than in the past, further increasing the number of warmer days. “These are all illustrations of global warming in France”deplores Matthieu Sorel.
Since the 19th century, the average temperature of the Earth warmed by 1.1°C. Scientists have established with certainty that this increase is due to human activities, which consume fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas). This warming, unprecedented in its speed, threatens the future of our societies and biodiversity. But solutions – renewable energies, sobriety, reduced meat consumption – exist. Discover our answers to your questions on the climate crisis.