Nine weather stations in Ireland had their hottest day ever recorded in July, according to Met Éireann’s monthly figures.
The period of intensely hot weather culminated on July 18th with a temperature of 33.0 degrees recorded at the Phoenix Park in Dublin.
That was the highest temperature ever recorded in Dublin and the second highest temperature ever in Ireland after a disputed 33.3 degrees which was recorded at Kilkenny Castle in June 1887.
The other Met ÉIreann weather stations which recorded their highest ever temperatures were Casement Aerodrome, Co Dublin (record length 58 years) with 31.9 degrees; Mount Dillon, Co Roscommon (length 14 years) with 31.4 degrees; Gurteen in Co Tipperary (length 14 years) with 31.0 degrees; Ballyhaise, Co Cavan (length 17 years) with 30.8 degrees; Athenry, Co Galway (length 12 years) and Dunsany, Co Meath (length 48 years) both with 30.5 degrees; Mullingar, Co Westmeath (length 72 years) with 30.4 degrees; and Dublin Airport, Co Dublin (length 80 years) with 29.6 degrees.
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One station had its highest July daily maximum temperature on record. This was Shannon Airport, Co Clare (length 76 years) with 30.8 degrees.
Overall it was an exceptionally warm July with temperatures ranging from 0.1 degrees (Markree Castle), Co Sligo to 1.7 degrees (at the Phoenix Park) above normal.
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The highest deviations from the monthly average were recorded in the east of the country.
Rainfall was well below average everywhere and mostly concentrated in the last week of the month.
There was no rain at all between July 2nd and July 23rd at Oak Park, Mount Dillon and Mullingar and many other places had a drought lasting at least 17 days.
Shannon Airport with just 20.7 mms of rain had its driest July since 1989. There was a clear east-west split in relation to sunshine. Johnstown Castle in Co Wexford received 186.7 hours of sunshine in July in comparison with just 90.2 hours at Belmullet, Co Mayo.
The weather will stay on the warm side for the rest of the week. It was exceptionally warm and muggy on Tuesday with highs or 25.7 degrees recorded at Dublin Airport and 25.2 degrees at the Phoenix Park.
The forecast is for cooler conditions to prevail until Friday, but then high pressure will bring better weather for the weekend and into the early days of next week.
Met Éireann forecaster Paul Downes said temperatures “will gradually start coming up” again. Temperatures of 22 degrees can be expected on Saturday and Sunday. “It looks like we will get into the low 20s on Monday and Tuesday. There is still a bit of uncertainty after that.”
Mr Downes said some models are suggesting a low pressure area could see a breakdown in the settled weather, but others see the low pressure area pushed to the north of Ireland with high pressure building over the country leading to temperatures higher than 25 degrees in the second half of next week.
