Surface hydrological variables are more difficult to observe and analyse than surface air temperature, with for example, soil moisture data currently being of qualitative rather than quantitative value. This summary is intended to provide European and near-global views of conditions for the month. Specific information for many countries can be found on the websites of their weather or climate services.
Europe - March 2024
Anomalies in precipitation, the relative humidity of surface air, the volumetric moisture content of the top 7 cm of soil and surface air temperature for March 2024 with respect to March averages for the period 1991-2020. The darker grey shading denotes where soil moisture is not shown due to ice cover or climatologically low precipitation. Data source: ERA5 Credit: Copernicus Climate Change Service/ECMWF.
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Anomalies in precipitation, the relative humidity of surface air, the volumetric moisture content of the top 7 cm of soil and surface air temperature for March 2024 with respect to March averages for the period 1981-2010. The darker grey shading denotes where soil moisture is not shown due to ice cover or climatologically low precipitation. Data source: ERA5 Credit: Copernicus Climate Change Service/ECMWF.
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In March 2024, all three indicators, precipitation, soil moisture and relative humidity, indicate wetter-than-average conditions in most of western Europe [1], including Ireland, most of the UK and eastern Iceland. Particularly pronounced were the anomalies in precipitation over the Iberian Peninsula, France and the Alps. Storm Monica (Elfi) at the beginning of the month caused heavy rainfall and flooding in southern France. Heavy rain brought by storm Nelson (Nadja) at the end of March provided only partial relief to low water reservoirs in eastern Spain, suffering from persistent drought. Regions of Scandinavia and north-western Russia also experienced wetter-than-average conditions.
The rest of Europe, including parts of Scandinavia, Germany, Poland and Ukraine, saw predominantly drier-than-average conditions, with pronounced below-average precipitation along the western seaboard of Norway.
[1] The wet anomaly line encircling the Alps shown in the soil moisture anomaly map for March should be viewed with caution as observations in areas with pronounced orography have large local variations that are not well resolved by the analysis. It will be the focus of further investigation.
Europe - last 12 months
Anomalies in precipitation, the relative humidity of surface air, the volumetric moisture content of the top 7 cm of soil and surface air temperature for April 2023 to March 2024 with respect to 1991-2020. The darker grey shading denotes where soil moisture is not shown due to ice cover or climatologically low precipitation. Data source: ERA5 Credit: Copernicus Climate Change Service/ECMWF.
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Anomalies in precipitation, the relative humidity of surface air, the volumetric moisture content of the top 7 cm of soil and surface air temperature for April 2023 to March 2024 with respect to 1981-2010. The darker grey shading denotes where soil moisture is not shown due to ice cover or climatologically low precipitation. Data source: ERA5 Credit: Copernicus Climate Change Service/ECMWF.
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During the twelve months to March 2024, precipitation, soil moisture and relative humidity all indicate wetter-than-average conditions over most of the UK, Ireland, most of Fennoscandia, much of France and Italy, the Balkans and Greece, most of Türkiye, and regions north and east of the Black Sea and north of the Caspian Sea.
However, all three indicators show that the 12-month period was drier than average for eastern Iberia and part of southern France, west of the Black Sea, a large region of north-western Russia and part of the northern Caucasus.
Globe - March 2024
Anomalies in precipitation, the relative humidity of surface air, the volumetric moisture content of the top 7 cm of soil and surface air temperature for March 2024 with respect to March averages for the period 1991-2020. The darker grey shading denotes where soil moisture is not shown due to ice cover or climatologically low precipitation. Data source: ERA5 Credit: Copernicus Climate Change Service/ECMWF.
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Anomalies in precipitation, the relative humidity of surface air, the volumetric moisture content of the top 7 cm of soil and surface air temperature for March 2024 with respect to March averages for the period 1981-2010. The darker grey shading denotes where soil moisture is not shown due to ice cover or climatologically low precipitation. Data source: ERA5 Credit: Copernicus Climate Change Service/ECMWF.
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In March 2024, it was wetter than average over the west, east and southeast of North America, across Central Asia, Japan, and much of the Arabian Peninsula, where, among other regions, the United Arab Emirates saw heavy precipitation. In the extra-tropics of the southern hemisphere, particularly striking is the wetter-than-average signal over most of Australia. The country experienced widespread precipitation associated with a series of low-pressure systems, including cyclone Megan, leading it to experience its third wettest March on record. In southern Africa, Madagascar was hit by cyclone Gamane, which brought heavy rain and associated damage. South America saw localised storms and flooding in Argentina and Uruguay.
Drier-than-average conditions established in parts of central USA, western Canada and northern Mexico, as well as in regions of Central Asia and China , south-eastern Australia and much of South America. Most of southern Africa, including Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, is experiencing severe drought conditions, typically associated with El Niño, with some countries declaring drought disaster.
Globe - last 12 months
Anomalies in precipitation, the relative humidity of surface air, the volumetric moisture content of the top 7 cm of soil and surface air temperature for April 2023 to March 2024 with respect to 1991-2020. The darker grey shading denotes where soil moisture is not shown due to ice cover or climatologically low precipitation. Data source: ERA5 Credit: Copernicus Climate Change Service/ECMWF.
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Anomalies in precipitation, the relative humidity of surface air, the volumetric moisture content of the top 7 cm of soil and surface air temperature for April 2023 to March 2024 with respect to 1981-2010. The darker grey shading denotes where soil moisture is not shown due to ice cover or climatologically low precipitation. Data source: ERA5 Credit: Copernicus Climate Change Service/ECMWF.
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During the 12 months to March 2024, in the northern hemisphere it was wetter than average across parts of eastern and western USA, including Alaska. A latitudinal band from southern Pakistan and northwest India to China also experienced wetter-than-average conditions, as did parts of the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa.
Drier-than-average conditions were recorded over most of North America. and across central and south-eastern regions of Asia. Elsewhere, mixed conditions were experienced.
In the extratropical southern hemisphere, drier-than-average conditions were particularly pronounced across most of South America. Southern Africa was mostly drier than average, while eastern regions, including Madagascar, were wetter than average. Much of northern Australia and parts of the southeast were wetter than average, with other areas mostly drier than average.
Longer term trends
Monthly anomalies with respect to 1991-2020 in the relative humidity of surface air averaged over global and over European land areas, from January 1979 to March 2024. The darker coloured bars denote the March values. Data source: ERA5 Credit: Copernicus Climate Change Service/ECMWF.
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Monthly anomalies with respect to 1981-2010 in the relative humidity of surface air averaged over global and over European land areas, from January 1979 to March 2024. The darker coloured bars denote the March values. Data source: ERA5 Credit: Copernicus Climate Change Service/ECMWF.
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Global land-averaged relative humidity has decreased over the last 40 years and has remained low since the early 2000s. In March 2024, global relative humidity was below the corresponding 1991-2020 average.
Relative humidity averaged over Europe shows a higher degree of variability, but in general a net decline over time is seen. The drying detected is not associated with a substantial reduction in precipitation, as shown below for four European regions. It is understood to be related to a larger rise in surface air temperature over land than over sea. Continued monitoring is required to quantify the drying over a longer period.
Relative humidity averaged over land areas in Europe in March 2024 was above the corresponding 1991-2020 average.
The variation over time of hydrological variables and temperature is shown below for averages over land areas for NW, NE, SW and SE Europe. Values are averaged over successive four-month periods to highlight variations on seasonal and longer time scales. Regional differences are quite pronounced in the time series.
The relationship between precipitation, relative humidity, and soil moisture, evident in the maps of anomalies, can be seen to hold for the area averages on time scales up to a year or more. However, average precipitation does not show the marked longer-term decrease seen for relative humidity and soil moisture.
Compared to the 1991-2020 reference period, in the four months to March 2024, northern European regions saw a positive anomaly in precipitation also reflected in the above-average soil moisture, accompanied by slightly below average or above-average relative humidity. In south-eastern Europe, all indicators show drier-than-average conditions, whereas in the southwest, the dry signal in soil moisture and relative humidity does not reflect the above-average precipitation.
Running four-month averages of anomalies over land areas for NW Europe with respect to 1991-2020 for precipitation, the relative humidity of surface air, the volumetric moisture content of the top 7 cm of soil and surface air temperature, based on monthly values from January 1979 to March 2024. The annual averages for 1991-2020 are shown in the top right corner of each panel. Data source: ERA5 Credit: Copernicus Climate Change Service/ECMWF.
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Running four-month averages of anomalies over land areas for NE Europe with respect to 1991-2020 for precipitation, the relative humidity of surface air, the volumetric moisture content of the top 7 cm of soil and surface air temperature, based on monthly values from January 1979 to March 2024. The annual averages for 1991-2020 are shown in the top right corner of each panel. Data source: ERA5 and ERA5-Land Credit: Copernicus Climate Change Service/ECMWF.
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Running four-month averages of anomalies over land areas for SW Europe with respect to 1991-2020 for precipitation, the relative humidity of surface air, the volumetric moisture content of the top 7 cm of soil and surface air temperature, based on monthly values from January 1979 to March 2024. The annual averages for 1991-2020 are shown in the top right corner of each panel. Data source: ERA5 and ERA5-Land Credit: Copernicus Climate Change Service/ECMWF.
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Running four-month averages of anomalies over land areas for SE Europe with respect to 1991-2020 for precipitation, the relative humidity of surface air, the volumetric moisture content of the top 7 cm of soil and surface air temperature, based on monthly values from January 1979 to March 2024. The annual averages for 1991-2020 are shown in the top right corner of each panel. Data source: ERA5 and ERA5-Land Credit: Copernicus Climate Change Service/ECMWF.
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Compared to the 1981-2010 reference period:
Running four-month averages of anomalies over land areas for NW Europe with respect to 1981-2010 for precipitation, the relative humidity of surface air, the volumetric moisture content of the top 7 cm of soil and surface air temperature, based on monthly values from January 1979 to March 2024. The annual averages for 1981-2010 are shown in the top right corner of each panel. Data source: ERA5 and ERA5-Land Credit: Copernicus Climate Change Service/ECMWF.
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Running four-month averages of anomalies over land areas for NE Europe with respect to 1981-2010 for precipitation, the relative humidity of surface air, the volumetric moisture content of the top 7 cm of soil and surface air temperature, based on monthly values from January 1979 to March 2024. The annual averages for 1981-2010 are shown in the top right corner of each panel. Data source: ERA5 and ERA5-Land Credit: Copernicus Climate Change Service/ECMWF.
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Running four-month averages of anomalies over land areas for SW Europe with respect to 1981-2010 for precipitation, the relative humidity of surface air, the volumetric moisture content of the top 7 cm of soil and surface air temperature, based on monthly values from January 1979 to March 2024. The annual averages for 1981-2010 are shown in the top right corner of each panel. Data source: ERA5 and ERA5-land Credit: Copernicus Climate Change Service/ECMWF.
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Running four-month averages of anomalies over land areas for SE Europe with respect to 1981-2010 for precipitation, the relative humidity of surface air, the volumetric moisture content of the top 7 cm of soil and surface air temperature, based on monthly values from January 1979 to March 2024. The annual averages for 1981-2010 are shown in the top right corner of each panel. Data source: ERA5 and ERA5-land Credit: Copernicus Climate Change Service/ECMWF.
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