By Ruth Le Cocq
Last year was Jersey’s second hottest on record with 13.34 degrees Celsius being the average temperature recorded at the Maison St Louis Observatory.
And it was the wettest year since records began at Howard Davis Farm which saw 1,352.9mm of total rainfall.
Jersey Met’s Head of Meteorology Paul Aked said although 2023 may not have felt like a particularly warm year, especially during July and August, the average temperature is calculated using both the daily maximum and minimum readings throughout the year.
That 13.34 degrees Celsius figure was the same as the average from 2014 and 0.22 degrees cooler than the 2022 record.
‘We’ve had many mild nights during the year,’ said Paul, ’14 were the mildest for that night since records began. Twenty-two nights during the year recorded a minimum temperature higher than the average daytime maximum for that day, ten of those during a very mild December.
‘September was the warmest for that month on record, June the second warmest, with October and December both being the fourth warmest, when compared with records dating back to 1894, all contributing to the year being the equal second hottest on record.’
Meanwhile Jersey’s sea temperature last year was the fourth warmest on record with above average sea temperature on all but a few days.
A new dark red stripe, just one shade lighter than last year, will soon be added to the mural at the Waterfront depicting how the Island’s climate has been warming since 1894.
Assistant Minister for the Environment Hilary Jeune said 2023 was among the hottest and wettest years in Jersey and the latest statistics were ‘another stark reminder of the climate change challenges we face’.
She added: ‘We’ve made some significant steps forward over the past year as we began to implement the policies and initiatives of the Carbon Neutral Roadmap on our journey to net zero. As we enter 2024, I’m optimistic that Islanders will play an ever-growing part in reducing emissions through changes, some big and some small, to the way we go about our daily lives.’
