2024 ends with a climate report that once again highlights the unstoppable change of the planet.
After a 2023 described by everyone as the hottest year ever recorded, 2024 continued on a similar trajectory, confirming significant thermal anomalies and extreme weather phenomena.
In Italy, as in the rest of the world, temperatures continued to break records, with scorching summers and increasingly difficult to define intermediate seasons. The winter of 2024 showed signs of instability, with phases of intense cold followed by sudden temperature increases.
Snowfalls, although present mainly in the Alpine arc and some areas of the Apennines, were below average, contributing to the reduction of water reserves.
On the opposite side, the Major Islands, Sicily, and Sardinia recorded winter values above average, with a climate more similar to spring than the cold season. Spring marked a new chapter of abnormal temperatures, with long periods of early heat that anticipated flowering in many regions of Central and Northern Italy.
The rains, although present, were distributed irregularly, with some areas hit by violent and sudden precipitation, while others experienced prolonged drought.
In particular, the Po Valley experienced a critical situation, with river levels sharply declining and problems related to water resource management. The summer of 2024, predictably, was marked by African heat waves that hit the entire country, with thermal peaks over 104°F in Sicily, Puglia, and Calabria. Even Northern Italy, usually less exposed to such extremes, experienced very high temperatures, especially in large cities.
Extreme phenomena, such as violent thunderstorms and hailstorms, characterized the end of the season, bringing momentary relief but causing significant damage to infrastructure and crops. With the arrival of autumn, many hoped for a respite from the heat, but the first months of the season were warmer than average, with few precipitations. Only towards November were there signs of a return to more typical conditions, with widespread rains that alleviated, albeit partially, the drought in regions such as Tuscany, Lazio, and Campania.
However, the delay in the arrival of rains had consequences on autumn crops, further compromising agriculture. Globally, 2024 was marked by extreme climatic events that dramatically affected entire continents.
In Asia, the monsoons proved particularly violent, causing floods in India and Bangladesh, while Africa faced devastating drought periods alternated with torrential rains.
In the United States, record heat waves and fires continued to put entire communities under pressure, once again demonstrating the urgency of addressing global warming. The feeling that emerges from the end of this year is that of a planet increasingly struggling to maintain a stable climatic balance. The seasons, once well-defined, now appear disrupted, leaving little room for the sense of normality that many expected.
Abnormal heat, irregular precipitation, and extreme events are becoming increasingly present in daily life, highlighting the importance of constantly monitoring the evolution of an ever-changing meteorological system.
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