The spring just past was the second warmest on record in Ireland despite being wetter and duller than average.
The average temperature for the months of March, April and May was 10.12 degrees, only the fourth time in recorded history that the season was above 10 degrees in Ireland, the others being 1945, 2017 and 2023.
The warmest spring on record was in 1945 with an average temperature of 10.26 degrees.
It is the 12th consecutive season in which temperatures have been above normal in Ireland and in keeping with the belief among scientists that climate change is already happening.
Met Éireann climatologist Paul Moore said temperatures in Ireland are rising similar to global levels. “Most of the time temperatures are above average for a season because we are comparing them to the long-term averages of 1961-1990. Temperatures are 1.75 degrees above that average period for spring in Ireland.
“As we see each season going by, we see more evidence of a warming world. The night-time temperatures were high because of cloud cover and that brought up the mean temperatures.”
Dublin’s Phoenix Park was one of eight Met Éireann stations that had their warmest spring on record. In the case of the Phoenix Park records go back 125 years.
Spring 2024 is not likely to live long in the memory bank though as it was also the sixth wettest on record.
Record high sea surface temperatures continued across the North Atlantic boosted the moisture content in the atmosphere. A southerly displaced jet stream during much of March and at times during April steered numerous low pressure systems over or to the south of Ireland.
This led to a wet spring for the Midlands, South and East, while the Northwest escaped with slightly below average rainfall.
Many farmers struggled to get crops into the ground before a welcome dry patch in the middle of April.
Moore Park in Co Cork and Johnstown Castle in Co Wexford had their wettest spring since 1981. Percentage of seasonal rainfall values ranged from 85 per cent (seasonal rainfall total of 218.2mm) at Finner, Co Donegal to 167 per cent (seasonal rainfall total of 363.4mm) at Johnstown Castle.
In absolute terms, the seasonal rainfall totals ranged from 188.4mm (117 per cent of its long term average) at Casement Aerodrome, Co Dublin to 421.0mm (134 per cent of its long term average) at Valentia Observatory, Co Kerry.
May was the warmest on record in Ireland along with being the warmest May on record globally and the 12th consecutive month with record-high temperatures globally.
All mean air temperatures across the country were above their long term average for the month. Deviations from mean air temperature for the month ranged from 1.1 degrees (12.7 degrees mean temperature) at Mace Head, Co Galway to 2.9 degrees (13.6 degrees) the month’s highest mean temperature) at Phoenix Park, Co Dublin (its warmest May on record.
The highest maximum was reported on Monday 20th at Mount Dillon, Co Roscommon with a temperature of 24.6 degrees.
Three stations had their highest mean maximum temperature for May on record and fourteen stations had their highest mean minimum for May on record. This indicates that night-time temperatures were particularly high during May 2024, which helped to increase the overall mean temperatures.
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