« Where is the sun, where oh where is it? » Sure, we’ve definitely put a fun twist on Christophe Maé's lyrics (and we actually wish we could see him in the cast of the Roi Soleil making its grand comeback in 2025), but we can't help but wonder what's really going on with the sun these days. As Météo France just released its annual climate report – and believe us, it's not exactly cheerful – the first figures for December are rolling in... and they aren’t any better.
-69% sunshine compared to the average
According to the data from the Paris-Montsouris weather station, located right in the heart of the park of the same name, as of December 20, 2024, the beginning of the month is facing a severe lack of rays: just 17 hours and 44 minutes of sunshine for these first few days!
days, which is a drop of 69% compared to the average from 1991-2020, which is 59.6 cumulative hours.Paris a connu... Zéro heure d’ensoleillement au cours des cinq derniers jours
— Le Parisien | Paris (@LeParisien_75) December 13, 2024
➡️ https://t.co/9CsskbNSSq pic.twitter.com/PZtC80TcOb
Among the sunniest days, December 4 stands out with 4.9 hours of sunshine, while on the flip side, there were no sunny hours recorded between December 8 and 12 as well as between December 16 and 18.
Above-average temperatures
On the temperature side, this December is a bit above the average : 5.1 °C for the minimums compared to an average of 3.1°C during the 1991-2000 period, and 8.8 °C for the maximums against an average of 8°C for the same comparison period.
This mildness is accompanied by a decrease in rainfall as we wrap up the year : 37.5 mm of rain since the beginning of December.
had an average of 62 mm during the same period from 1991 to 2020, which represents a decrease of 40%. These results contrast with the annual report released by Météo-France a few days ago: according to the official meteorology and climatology service in France, 2024 is expected to be among the top ten wettest years since 1959.