Climate Change Chart of Strasbourg, France

Overview of climate changes

Temperature changes

Averaged across calendar months, monthly mean temperature showed a difference of +1.35 °C compared with the earlier reference period. This is an unweighted comparison of monthly means, not a day-weighted annual average or a measure of daytime highs. The largest monthly increase was in January, at a difference of +3.53 °C. By contrast, April recorded the largest decrease, with a difference of -0.25 °C; these month-specific results show that the overall mean difference did not apply equally across the calendar.

Changes in snowfall

Mean daily snowfall averaged across calendar months had a difference of -0.50 mm/day in the more recent period. This is a comparison of monthly average daily amounts, not monthly totals. The largest decrease was in February, with a difference of -2.05 mm/day, whereas the largest increase was in April, at a difference of +0.01 mm/day. The overall mean and these month-specific differences summarize recorded snowfall averages; they do not imply that every month changed in the same way.

Changes in rainfall

Mean daily rainfall averaged across calendar months had a difference of +0.41 mm/day in the more recent period. This unweighted mean of monthly averages describes daily amounts, not monthly rainfall totals, and does not imply the same change in every month. The largest monthly increase occurred in October, with a difference of +1.09 mm/day, while November had the largest decrease, at a difference of -0.23 mm/day. Those contrasting month-specific changes give a more qualified picture than the overall average alone.

Changes in sunshine duration

Mean daily sunshine duration, averaged across calendar months, had a difference of -0.27 hours/day compared with the earlier reference period. The average is based on monthly means and is not a day-weighted annual figure. The largest monthly decrease was in January, at a difference of -0.93 hours/day; the largest increase occurred in February, with a difference of +0.25 hours/day. These monthly contrasts indicate that the mean difference should not be read as a uniform shift throughout the year.