In our country, we have passed the warmest january of history. With an average temperature above that of mainland Spain of 8.4 °C, it was 0.8 °C warmer than normal, which implies that this first month of the year 2024 continues the upward trend in temperatures, in accordance with experts’ predictions regarding the global warming.
Warmest January: Sunshine
Last month was warmest january since the beginning of the series in 1961, having surpassed January 2016 by 0.4°C, so far the warmest since there are records.
It was an extremely hot and humid month, as can be seen from the report carried out by the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), dependent on the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO).
Warmest January: Temperature
This month of warmest january Overall, it has been extremely warm, with an average temperature over mainland Spain of 8.4°C, a value that is 2.4°C above the average for this month (reference period: 1991-2020). It was the warmest January since the beginning of the series in 1961, having surpassed January 2016 by 0.4°C, which was until now the warmest in the series.
The month of January was extremely warm in the south and in the center of the peninsula, and warm or very warm in the northern third, becoming normal in some parts of the Ebro valley. In the Balearic Islands it was very warm and in the Canary Islands it was very warm. or extremely warm.
The thermal anomalies of this warmest january They were around +3°C in the south of Castilla y León, south of Aragón, interior of the Valencian Community and the Region of Murcia, south and east of Castilla-La Mancha, east of Extremadura and interior of central Andalusia and Oriental.
In the rest of peninsular Spain the anomalies were around +2°C, except in areas of northern Galicia, western Cantabrian, northwest of Castilla y León and the Ebro valley, where they were around +1°C, values close to 0 °C were observed in some points of the Ebro valley. In the Balearic Islands they took values between +1°C and +2°C, while in the Canary Islands they were between +2°C and +3°C in low areas and between +3°C and +4°C in higher altitude areas.
The daily maximum temperatures of this warmest january They remained on average 2.5°C above the normal value, while the minimum temperatures were 2.3°C above the average, resulting in a daily thermal oscillation 0.2°C higher than the normal value for the month. At 30 major stations, the average January temperature was the highest in the series, at 31, the average daily maximum was the highest since the beginning of observations, and at 12, the average minimum was also the highest. highest since the beginning of the respective series.
In this warmest january There were three warm episodes, with both maximum and minimum temperatures well above normal values: the first extended between days 1 and 4, the second between days 13 and 19, and the last, which was the most intense, between on the 21st and 31st. There was a cold episode, with temperatures below usual for the time of year, especially the maximums, between the 6th and the 12th. Also on the 20th they were below normal values.
The highest temperatures among main stations corresponded to Gran Canaria/airport, where 30.8°C was recorded on the 16th, Fuerteventura/airport, with 29.9°C on the 16th, Hierro/airport, with 28.7°C also on the 16th, and Tenerife South/airport, where 28.4 °C was measured on the 30th. At 29 main stations, the highest daily maximum temperature for a month of January since observations have been recorded.
Regarding the minimum temperatures, among the main stations, the -9.2 °C in Soria measured on the 21st, the -8.2 °C in Molina de Aragón on the 12th, the -8.0 °C in Burgos on the on the 20th and -7.4 °C in Puerto de Navacerrada on the 12th. In 20 main stations, the highest daily minimum temperature (the warmest night) for a month of January was recorded since the beginning of the respective series.
The month of warmest january It has been humid in terms of precipitation, with an average precipitation value over peninsular Spain of 67.5 mm, a value that represents 105% of the normal value for the month (reference period: 1991-2020). It was the 26th wettest January since the series began in 1961 and the tenth of the 21st century.
It is warmest january It has been between normal and humid in almost the entire peninsula, reaching very humid in the center of the peninsula and parts of Aragon. On the contrary, it has been dry in Catalonia, Murcia, areas of the Levant peninsular, Andalusia, the Cantabrian coast, Navarra and northern Galicia. In the Canary archipelago, January has been very dry. In the Balearic archipelago, it has been wet on the islands of Mallorca and Menorca and dry in the rest.
During the first decade of the month, the precipitation They affected the entire territory, with the exception of the Canary archipelago. More than 20 mm accumulated in practically the entire peninsula, except for the Mediterranean coast, part of Aragón and some points in the center of the peninsula.
More than 60 mm were exceeded on the Cantabrian coast and in Galicia and even in some points it reached 120 mm. In the Balearic archipelago, precipitation greater than 40 mm was recorded on the islands of Mallorca and Menorca. In the Canary Islands hardly any precipitation was recorded.
In the second decade, rainfall was recorded throughout the peninsula, in the Balearic archipelago and in the western Canary Islands. 10 mm were exceeded in almost the entire peninsula, except Murcia, Girona and Navarra. The most notable rainfall, of more than 100 mm, occurred in western Galicia and Extremadura.
In the third decade of the month, hardly any precipitation was recorded. Only in Galicia did the precipitation exceed 5 mm and in some areas 20 mm.
The highest daily rainfall recorded in main observatories corresponded to Hondarribia/Malkarroa, which recorded 67.1 mm on day 5; Santiago de Compostela with 52.5 mm on the 17th; Donostia/San Sebastián/Igueldo with 48.6 mm on the 5th and Puerto de Navacerrada with 39.8 mm on the 16th. Regarding the total rainfall for the month, in the main stations the 227.2 mm accumulated in Vigo/ airport, the 217.2 mm of Santiago de Compostela/airport, the 196.4 mm of the port of Navacerrada and the 154 mm of Hondarribia/Malkarroa.
Warmer January, important NOTES
Since January 2023, the Climatological Standard Normal values for the period 1991-2020, prepared in the Climatology and Operational Applications Area of AEMET, have begun to be used in AEMET’s climatological production, in accordance with the guidelines set by the WMO in its Resolution 16 (Cg-17).
In September 2020, the average values in the Spanish peninsular territory of the monthly and annual temperature and precipitation grids described in technical notes 31 and 32 of AEMET (period of reference: 1981-2010). This change in methodology may give rise to significant differences with the results obtained from the reference values previously used.
To prepare this press release for the month of warmest january, AEMET has used a climate preview whose data is provisional and subject to subsequent validation.