SUMMER 2024 WAS Ireland’s coolest in nearly a decade, according to Met Éireann.

Met Éireann has released its latest seasonal weather assessment, revealing that the average national temperature for this summer was 14.5 degrees Celsius, just over a quarter of a degree lower than the 1991-2020 long-term average.

However, it was drier than summer 2023, with an average rainfall total of 237mm.

Met Éireann has pointed to two key reasons for the cool weather starting from June.

Several arctic blasts in early June were followed by a zonal jet stream that blocked warm air masses to the south from pushing north over Ireland.

The season’s highest temperature was reported at Phoenix Park in Co Dublin on Monday 24 June with a temperature of 26.6 degrees Celsius. 

The lowest minimum air temperature was 1.8 degrees on Wednesday 12 June at Claremorris in Co Mayo.

The cool summer does not, however, disprove climate change. Overall, across the world, average temperatures are increasing due to emissions of greenhouse gases that trap heat inside the earth’s atmosphere. Ireland is already seeing the effects of climate change.

Climate change also makes the climate more unstable and more prone to unusual and extreme weather events.

Ireland’s long-term temperature averages, which are measured each decade based on the previous 30 years, have been increasing over time.

Summer 2024 was 0.28 degrees below the most recent 1991-2020 long-term average but only 0.19 degrees below the previous 1981-2010 long-term average, and was 0.25 degrees warmer than the 1961-1990 long-term average.

Sunshine and rainfall

The majority of seasonal rainfall totals across Ireland this summer were below their 1981-2010 long-term average.

The weather station at Dublin Airport saw its driest summer since 2018 (104.7mm), though values elsewhere ranged as high as 419mm at Newport, Co Mayo.

The season’s wettest day was also recorded at Newport, with 34.6 mm on Sunday 4 August.

The number of rain days ranged from 43 days at Roche’s Point, Co Cork to 73 days at Knock Airport, Co Mayo throughout the summer season.

Sunshine values varied across the country, with the percentage of seasonal sunshine values ranging from 107% (seasonal sunshine total of 467.6 hours) at Shannon Airport, Co Clare to 111% at Casement Aerodrome, Co Dublin, which was the season’s highest seasonal sunshine total of 514.1 hours

Seasonal sunshine totals were lowest at Malin Head in Co Donegal with 391.7 hours.

The highest number of daily sunshine hours recorded this season was 15.9 hours at Gurteen, Co Tipperary on Wednesday 19 June, while the number of dull days ranged from six days at Casement Aerodrome, Co Dublin to 17 days at both Valentia Observatory, Co Kerry and Belmullet, Co Mayo.