THE WEATHER EXPERTS at Met Éireann have confirmed that the past three months have offered us one of the coolest, dullest and wettest summers in Ireland’s history.
Temperatures and sunshine were below average, while rainfall was higher than usual during June, July and August.
Rainfall totals were above average across the entire country but the south was the hardest hit as it saw the highest percentage values for the summer months.
Both Mullingar and Cork Airport reported their wettest summers since records began in 1944 and 1962, while Claremorris and Knock Airport also recorded their wettest summers since 1985 and 1996 respectively.
In most cases, stations recorded their highest daily rainfall during June but there were also heavy showers noted during mid-August. Malin Head experienced the most rain in one day with 50.9 mm falling on 22 June. That was its highest summer daily fall in 57 years.
The west and south of Ireland recorded more wet days than the rest of the country but the whole island reported an above-normal number. Between 44 and 65 days of the 92 days of summer were described as wet.
Although the west suffered through some of the wettest days, it also enjoyed some of the more sunny ones. Sunshine total for summer were below average nearly everywhere except in western coastal areas.
Percentage of average values ranged from 70 per cent at Valentia Observatory to 102 per cent at Belmullet.
Valentia Observatory reported its dullest summers in 32 years, while Cork Airport has not been that dull since 1986. Valential’s highest daily sunshine of 11.8 hours on 5 July was its lowest since the summer of 1986.
Mean temperatures for the season ranged from 13.0°C at Knock Airport to 14.9°C at Shannon Airport. The season’s highest maximum temperature of 26.5°C was recorded at Shannon Airport. Almost all lowest minimum temperatures were recorded in mid-June, with the season’s lowest temperature of 2.4°C recorded at Markree on 10 June. The lowest minimum temperature of 4.0°C at Malin Head on 4 June was the lowest minimum at the site since the summer of 1991. However, most stations across the country reported their lowest minimums as the highest recorded in five to 15 years.
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