Irish Weather through the Year
Posted in: Climate & Weather
Rain coming, by mozzercork
It’s often said that in Ireland you get four seasons in one day, and there is some truth in this!
The weather is never very predictable, no matter what the season or how bright the morning dawns.
It’s not all bad weather though.
Summer
During the summer months, while rainfall is frequent it is generally light or short-lived. In July and August there can be surprisingly warm weather, with average temperatures of around 15ºC -18ºC, occasionally as high as 30ºC.
It can become humid as the temperature rises – sudden and heavy (though usually short) thunder storms are common. On the up side, these storms are followed by spectacular rainbows which almost make up for them.
Winter
Average temperatures in Ireland in January and February (usually the coldest months) are about 5ºC, though they can drop quite a bit lower at night. Clouds and rain are pretty much a daily occurrence, with occasional bright sunny days. However most days, even if it is dull, rain tends to come in showers interspersed with dry periods.
Heavy snow falls are rare. January 2010, when heavy snow and ice almost brought the country to a standstill, was exceptional. Most years the tops of mountains may be covered with snow for much of the winter but you are unlikely to encounter snowy roads. Ice is a different matter, and early in the morning, particularly on less busy roads, it is advisable to be on the look out for black ice.
Spring & Autumn
Spring and Autumn are even less predictable – you could find yourself soaking up the sun in April but equally you could really need that warm and waterproof jacket you packed – you did pack it didn’t you?
So essentially in Ireland the weather could do anything – be prepared for that!
Ireland Weather Averages
These figures are all average weather values for Ireland over an approximately 30 year period.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Temperature oC | ||||||||||||
| Average | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 5 |
| High | 14 | 15 | 18 | 23 | 26 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 25 | 22 | 17 | 14 |
| Low | -14 | -11 | -7 | -5 | -3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -1 | -4 | -7 | -10 |
| Temperature oF | ||||||||||||
| Average | 41 | 41 | 43 | 46 | 50 | 55 | 59 | 59 | 55 | 50 | 43 | 41 |
| High | 57 | 59 | 64 | 73 | 78 | 88 | 88 | 86 | 77 | 71 | 62 | 57 |
| Low | 7 | 12 | 19 | 23 | 27 | 32 | 36 | 34 | 30 | 25 | 19 | 14 |
| Note that highs and lows of temperatures above are real extremes, not commonly experienced. The lows will have occurred at night. | ||||||||||||
| Average hours of sunshine daily | ||||||||||||
| 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 4.8 | 5.4 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 1.5 | |
| Average number of days when it rains | ||||||||||||
| Any | 19 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 18 |
| Heavy | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| This means in January there is an average of 19 days when it rains, on about 7 of which the rain is heavy. Heavy means more than about 2″ of rain. Yep, lots of rain! | ||||||||||||
| Average number of days with….. | ||||||||||||
| Snow | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .5 | 3 |
| Hail | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | .5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .3 | .4 | .3 |
| Thunder | 0 | 0 | 0 | .5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .5 | .2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fog | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 |
Figures here have been rounded to the nearest whole number – more detailed and accurate information about Ireland’s weather and climate is available from Met Éireann (The Irish Meteorological Service)
thanks people i am doing a project and i really needed the climate change info
thank you:)
-Jordyn