NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology - Slonosky 2002 Paris Monthly Precipitation 1688-2009

Precipitation measurements taken at the Paris Observatory from the 1680s to the 1750s are presented; these values are blended with modern data until 2001. The most striking change in the precipitation patterns over the past 300 years is the change in seasonal distribution; in the late 17th and 18th centuries, summer precipitation accounted for 60% of the yearly total, changing to a uniform seasonal distribution in the 20th century. Winter precipitation has increased by 24 mm/century, while summer precipitation increased by 4 mm/century. The winter of 2000/2001 was the wettest of the past three centuries; the year 2000 recorded the largest amount of precipitation since observations began.