‘Unsettled’ year of weather overall, says Met Éireann

Highest gust of wind recorded in 2017 was 155km/h in Co Cork during Storm Ophelia

Fishermen look out from Glen Pier in  Balliskelligs, Co Kerry, during last October’s Storm Ophelia. Photograph: Stephen Kelleghan.
Fishermen look out from Glen Pier in Balliskelligs, Co Kerry, during last October’s Storm Ophelia. Photograph: Stephen Kelleghan.

Last year's weather has been described as "unsettled" in a summary of 2017 published by Met Éireann.

The main weather event of the year was Storm Ophelia, an ex-hurricane and the strongest storm to hit Ireland in half a century, which made landfall on October 16th.

The highest gust of wind recorded was 155km/h, at Roche’s Point, Co Cork, during Storm Ophelia.

The highest average wind speed over 10 minutes was also captured at Roche’s Point during the same storm. At 114km/h, it was the highest ever on record for the area.

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The highest temperature was 28.6 degrees, recorded on June 21st in the Phoenix Park, Dublin. The coldest recorded temperature was minus 6.6 degrees, on December 11th at Casement Aerodrome, Co Dublin.

Overall, June was the month with the warmest conditions, with the coldest recorded by Met Éireann in late November and December.

Rainfall

In terms of rainfall, the first half of the year was drier than normal, and April was the driest month of 2017.

September was the wettest month of the year, particularly in the south of the country. The Met Éireann weather station at Malin Head, Co Donegal, recorded its wettest summer day in 62 years, with 63mm of rain falling in six hours on August 22nd.

The highest recorded gust of wind for December was during Storm Dylan on New Year’s Eve at Malin Head, which was 124km/h.

In a summary of the weather over the year, Met Éireann said mild but changeable weather was the overall trend for the first few months of the year.

Storm Doris brought the biggest disruption to the overall calm weather in late February. July and August were described as more unsettled, and the unsettled pattern continued into September and the rest of the year.

Jack Power

Jack Power

Jack Power is acting Europe Correspondent of The Irish Times