Jersey has registered its hottest year since official records began, with Jersey Met this morning confirming a provisional average annual temperature for 2022 of 13.56°C.
It follows a year which also saw the temperature hit a new record high of 37.9°C (18 July).
The 13.56°C average for the year exceeds the previous warmest year (13.34°C in 2014) by 0.22°C. Official temperatures have been recorded at the Maison St Louis Observatory since 1894.
Head of Meteorology for Jersey Met, Paul Aked, said: “During 2022 we have seen a number of new temperature records, including the hottest June day (33.2°C on 17 June), a new all-time highest daytime maximum (37.9°C on 18 July), a new high night-time minimum (25.5°C on 19 July), the warmest summer on record, beating that of 1976, and we also recorded eight days reaching 30°C or more, which is more than any other year since records began. Every month except for December has been warmer than average resulting in the overall warmest year on record.
“The sea temperature has also been remarkable, staying above average for each day throughout the year until 13 December, the longest period in a single year from 1 January that it has continually remained above average.
“The warmer year and extreme temperatures during the summer months are impacts that we can expect to see more often as a result of our climate changing. Not every year will be as warm, but we expect to see more of the warmer temperatures over future years. 16 of the top 20 warmest years in Jersey have been in the last 30 years.”
As a result of the 2022 temperature, a new very dark red stripe will be added to the Jersey Climate Stripes at the Waterfront in the next few days. Using colour, the stripes show how the Island’s climate is warming over time, and act as a visual climate change reminder. Once the new stripe has been added, there will be a total of 129 stripes – each representing a year from 1894 through to 2022.
Minister for Energy and Climate Change, Deputy Hilary Jeune, said: “Whilst I appreciate many Islanders certainly enjoy warm weather, the figures confirmed today are another stark reminder of the climate emergency we’re facing.
“2023 must be the year that we make big strides, through the policies in our Carbon Neutral Roadmap, to reduce the emissions which lead to these increased temperatures and the associated impacts on food security, biodiversity and sea level rises, for example. In the next few weeks, we’ll be announcing a series of schemes to support Islanders in the transition to lower-carbon forms of travel and heating. I’m committed to strongly pushing this to ensure Jersey remains on a pathway to net zero by 2050, in line with the internationally recognised targets of the Paris Agreement on climate change.”
For more information about the climate emergency in Jersey, visit: How Jersey is tackling the climate emergency (gov.je)
Government of Jersey News Release