Sunshine in December ends one of Ireland's warmest years on record

An unusually sunny December capped one of Ireland's warmest years on record, according to Met Éireann's end-of-year report, writes Frank McNally

Mean air temperatures in 2005 were around one degree above the average for the 1961-90 period, the international standard used by meteorologists.

Most weather stations recorded their warmest year since 1998, while Baldonnel in south Dublin had the highest average temperature since records began there in 1964.

The Irish figures were in line with global experience.

Provisional findings from the World Meteorological Organisation suggest it was the second warmest year - after 1998 - in the series going back to 1861. The Earth's nine warmest years have all occurred in the last decade.

Ireland's hottest temperatures in 2005 were in mid-July, and the hottest place was Kilkenny, where the weather station measured 29.2C on successive days, July 11th and 12th.

The coldest period was early March.

Despite the record warmth, Baldonnel also recorded Ireland's lowest daily temperature of the year: minus 5.6C on March 3rd.

The same station had the coldest air temperature in December: minus 5.2C on December 13th.

It was also an unusually dry year, according to Met Éireann, although nowhere was rainfall as low as the exceptional 2001.

February, March and December were the driest months compared with average. Rainfall in Dublin was 10 per cent below normal.

Cork airport recorded the highest single day's rain of the year, on July 24th, which was also the highest daily total since August 1998.

Valentia Island was both the warmest and the wettest place in Ireland in 2005, with annual rainfall of 1485mm and a mean temperature of 11.4C.

Rosslare was the sunniest place with 1,617 hours of sunshine; Birr the gloomiest with 1,145. The highest daily sunshine was shared by the weather stations at Rosslare and Dublin airport, both of which recorded 15.6 hours on July 11th.

December was a sunny month in most places but especially in the northwest and southeast, where the sun shone 25 per cent longer than normal.