Spring December, February off the charts:warmest winter ever in Emilia-Romagna

Climate data says that in Emilia-Romagna the winter of 2023-2024 was the warmest since 1961, with record temperatures in December and February

BOLOGNA – After autumn, the winter of 2023 in Emilia-Romagna was also (unfortunately) record-breaking.The period from December to February 2024 was in fact the warmest since 1961.This is demonstrated by the 'Eraclito61' climate dataset, managed by the Arpae Emilia-Romagna Climate Observatory and which covers the period 1961 to today.In the past quarter, the experts explain, “all thermal variables exceeded historical maximum values, with average, maximum and minimum temperatures never recorded in the winter season in the period of data availability".

THREE GRADES ABOVE AVERAGE

The average temperature in Emilia-Romagna reached 6.6 degrees, almost three degrees higher than the average for the thirty-year period 1991-2020, and 0.4 degrees higher than the previous record, recorded in 2020.Maximum temperatures recorded a seasonal average value of 10.7 degrees, 3.1 degrees higher than the recent climate and a true record from 1961 to today.For minimum temperatures, however, a slightly lower but still high deviation is observed, with an average of 2.5 degrees compared to the expected 0.2 degrees. The months of December and February contributed most to such extreme seasonal values, but in reality every winter month was characterized by anomalies.

RECORDS FOR DECEMBER AND FEBRUARY

In December, the maximum temperatures stand out, higher than the climate by 3.3 degrees.January was the month that deviated the least from the norm, but with a still very high average anomaly (+1.4 degrees), again mostly due to the maximum temperatures. February was the most off-scale month, with exceptional anomalies exceeding four degrees for average, maximum and minimum temperatures.Overall in February the average temperature in Emilia-Romagna was 4.2 degrees higher than the climatic average and with the exception of the 24th and 26th of the month, the average temperature of the individual days of February remained constantly above the norm , exceeding historical highs on several occasions.Analyzing temperatures on a monthly level, the anomalies are confirmed to be more contained in January and more marked in December, which recorded the peak on day 23, the hottest of the entire season, with an average regional temperature of 13.6 degrees.

THERMIC ZERO ABOVE 2,300 METERS

This unnatural heat has brought the height of the freezing point, that is, the altitude where the air temperature becomes negative, almost always above the Apennine peaks.The winter average was in fact 2,307 metres, equal to the seasonal record recorded in the winter of 2019-2020 (2,310 metres).In the period 1991-2020, the winter average of the freezing point in Emilia-Romagna was around 1,700 metres, but over the thirty years there has been a progressive increase of approximately 200 metres.The trend has undergone a further increase in the last three years, with an average freezing point above 1,900 metres.Furthermore, the winter of 2023-2024 does not appear to be an isolated case, but is part of an already highly anomalous context. Together with autumn 2023, it is in fact the second consecutive warmest season since 1961.

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