Dip in temperature after hottest June in 40 years

TEMPERATURES ARE set to fall and rain is on the way over the coming days after one of the warmest Junes on record.

It was the warmest June for 40 years in some parts of the country, according to Met Éireann. Forecaster Siobhán Ryan said June was exceptionally good, but warned it would get cooler this week.

“The weather over the coming days will still be mild with plenty of sunshine, but there will be a gradual drop in temperatures to between 16 and 19 degrees at the weekend with rain expected on Saturday night,” she said.

Monthly rainfall totals in June were down by about 50 per cent in western and northern areas, and it was the driest June since 1941 at Malin Head.

Overall, there was five to 10 wet days, compared with the normal range for June of nine to 13 days. The weather got slowly better, with little or no rain measured during the second half of June.

The period between June 20th and 27th was particularly warm, with daily temperatures rising above 20 degrees in most areas. The highest temperature of 24.9 degrees was recorded in Ballyhaise, Co Cavan, on June 21st.

Valentia Observatory recorded 1,034 hours of sunshine for the first half of 2010, the sunniest period at the weather station in more than a century.