The autumn of 2023, with an average temperature of 19.1 ºC, was the second warmest of the last 63 years in the Region of Murcia, only surpassed by the 19.5 degrees recorded in the same period of 2022. In addition, It had a very dry rainfall character, with an average precipitation of 44.1 l/m2, which represents only 41% of normal, according to Juan Esteban Palenzuela, Territorial delegate of Aemet, at a press conference.
The average of the maximum temperatures for the quarter was 25.3 ºC, with an anomaly of +2.6 ºC, just 0.1 ºC from the anniversary recorded in 2022. The average of the minimum temperatures was 13.7 ºC, with an anomaly of +1.3 ºC, and was the fourth highest since 1961, behind the autumns of 2022, 2014 and 2006.
The month of September, with an average temperature of 22.7 ºC and an anomaly of +0.9 ºC, was very warm; October, with 19.5 ºC and an anomaly of +2.0 ºC, was the third warmest since 1961; and November, with 15.2 ºC and an anomaly of +2.8 ºC, was extremely warm, the warmest in its series. The warmest day of the fall was September 3, while the coldest was November 23.
In terms of maximum temperatures, two warm episodes stood out due to their duration and intensity: from September 23 to October 19 and from November 9 to 30. On the other hand, we must highlight the episode of maximums below normal from September 2 to 4. In the minimum temperatures, warm episodes occurred throughout the quarter, but with smaller anomalies than in the maximum temperatures, and only two episodes with temperatures below normal in the month of November.
The highest maximum temperatures, on average, were recorded on September 31, although the absolute maximum of the quarter, 35.5 ºC, was recorded in Lorca on September 5. The lowest maximum temperatures of the quarter were observed, on average, on November 22 and 23, but the lowest maximum, 11.5 ºC, was recorded on October 20 in Campo de San Juan, Moratalla.
The highest minimum temperatures were observed on September 3, but the highest minimum, 26.0 ºC, was recorded in San Pedro del Pinatar, on September 6. The lowest minimums took place on November 23 and 24, with the absolute minimum of the quarter, -1.5 ºC, on November 24 at the Bodegas Carchelo station, in Jumilla. In addition, weak frosts were observed in the Northwest and Altiplano region on the 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th of that same month.
Precipitation
The accumulated precipitation between September and November 2023 in the Region was 44.1 l/m2, which represents 41% of the average value for the same period, and a very dry rainfall character. This period is the fourth driest of the 21st century. The month of September, with 38.4 l/m2, was normal; October, with 5.3 l/m2, was very dry; and November, with 0.4 l/m2, was extremely dry.
During this quarter, where the most precipitation was recorded was in areas of the Northwest region and Río Mula, with accumulated values greater than 100 l/m2: in Benizar (Moratalla), with 115 l/m2 and Casas Nuevas (Mula) with 114 l /m2. On the contrary, where the least precipitation was recorded was in areas of the Altiplano and south of the Region, with values close to 20 l/m2, such as in Cartagena, with 22 l/m2.
The most important precipitation episodes occurred in the month of September, which accumulated 89% of the precipitation for the quarter. The highest monthly precipitation was recorded in September in Casas Nuevas (Mula) with 107 l/m2. The day with the highest rainfall in the Region was September 2, with 19 l/m2 of average rainfall. The maximum daily rainfall was recorded in Alhama 'Los Quemados', with 43.7 l/m2.
The highest intensities in one hour and ten minutes of the quarter were recorded at the Murcia observatory on September 15: of the 42.6 l/m2 recorded that day, 41.8 l/m2 fell in one hour, and 10 .4 l/m2 in 10 minutes. On September 3, an extraordinary episode of Saharan dust intrusion occurred that dyed the skies an orange-yellow, reminiscent of mid-March 2022. That day, mud rain was observed, in addition to those on the 12th, 15th and 17th. In October and November there were no episodes of mud rain.
December preview
During the first seven days of December there were temperatures below normal values. Starting on the 8th, an episode of extraordinarily high temperatures for the time began. In fact, on the 11th and 12th they exceeded the absolute maximum for December in many stations in the Region. Starting on the 14th, the maximum values were close to normal values, while the minimum values remained below. Starting on the 20th, maximum temperatures are expected to remain above normal, while minimum temperatures will fluctuate around normal.
The maximum temperature on the 11th at the Murcia observatory, 26.6 ºC, exceeded the maximum temperature anniversary for a month of December, recorded on December 27, 2021, and the maximum on the 12th, 27.2 ºC, returned to overcome the anniversary of the previous day. The accumulated precipitation in the Region until the 20th has been 1.5 l/m2, which represents only 8% of the median value for the month of December. Where the most precipitation accumulated was in Torre Pacheco, with 7 l/m2, on day 5.
hydrological year
In the period from October 1 to December 20, a total of 7.2 l/m2 was accumulated, which represents only 7% of the average value for the same period, and an extremely dry rainfall character. If it did not rain more until the end of December, this period would be the driest since 1961, lower than the record of 17.9 l/m2, for the same period of the 2017-2018 hydrological year.
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