IRELAND ENJOYED record levels of sunshine during June this year, but days of high rainfall tended to dampen our spirits.
“Warm and mainly wet” was how Met Éireann described the past month’s weather in its latest weather summary released yesterday. While some weather stations recorded their sunniest June for over 50 years, exceptionally high rainfall amounts for single days were recorded in eastern and northern parts of the country.
The west and north got the best of the fine weather. The highest total hours with sunshine for the month was recorded at Malin Head in Donegal, where locals enjoyed 275 hours of sun, the most for June recorded at the station since 1957. Casement aerodrome in south Dublin had the day with the most sunshine, with 16 hours recorded on June 24th, its sunniest June day since 1988.
Further records included Shannon airport enjoying the highest mean temperature for the month in the country at 15.9 degrees, resulting in its warmest June since 1970. Birr and Claremorris jointly recorded the highest temperature for a single day in June, with thermometers reaching 27.5 degrees there on June 2nd, the highest temperature reached at both stations for the month since 1995.
While the beginning and end of the month saw the best of the June weather, the middle weeks saw lower temperatures and rainfall. The Phoenix Park in Dublin recorded its lowest temperature for the month in more than 100 years, with temperatures falling to 9.4 degrees on June 6th.
Most weather stations recorded between six and 12 wet days (days with one millimetre or more of rainfall) during June, which is less than the typical range of between nine and 15 days. Significant periods of rainfall for the month included the flooding experienced at Derrybeg in Donegal on June 23rd, where 50mm of rain was estimated to have fallen in just three hours. The highest total rainfall for the month, 94mm (3.7”), was recorded at Valencia Observatory.
Castlerea, Co Roscommon, recorded a tornado on June 12th.