Most parts of the country had the coldest May in almost 20 years with temperatures well below normal for the time of year.
It was also an exceptionally cold spring, according to Met Éireann. Spring mean temperatures were more than a degree below normal for the season in parts of the midlands and north-west.
May was wet, cold and miserable everywhere. Most stations around the country with the exception of a few on the western seaboard had their coolest May for between five and 19 years.
Knock Airport had its coldest May since records began in 1996 with an average May temperature of just 8.5 degrees.
Both Markree Castle, Co Sligo, and Ballyhaise, Co Cavan, recorded average monthly temperatures for May which were 1.7 degrees below normal.
To compound a miserable month, it was also much wetter across the country. All weather stations recorded monthly rainfall figures which were higher than normal. At Malin Head in Co Donegal rainfall was 235 per cent above the seasonal average. At the other end of the country in Johnstown Castle, Co Wexford, rainfall was 214 per cent higher than normal.
It was also much duller than average with every weather station reporting sunshine levels less than 90 per cent of normal for the month.
March and May were both colder than normal while April was about average most places. Differences from seasonal long-term averages ranged from minus 1.4 degrees (spring mean temperature of 7.4 degrees) at Markree, Co Sligo to minus 0.1 degrees (spring mean temperature of 8.4 degrees) at Phoenix Park, Co Dublin.
About average mean air temperatures were recorded in April, with below average temperatures reported in March to minus 0.1 degrees (spring mean temperature of 8.4 degrees) at Phoenix Park, Co Dublin.
The warmest spring days were mainly April 22nd and 23rd and from May 22nd to 26th with the highest spring temperature reported on April 23rd at Newport, Co Mayo, with 21.3 degrees.
The lowest seasonal temperatures were during March, with the lowest air temperature of 5.1 degrees reported at Casement Aerodrome, Co Dublin on March 18th, and the lowest grass temperature of minus 9.7 degree reported at Markree on March 14th.
June started as May finished with cold and miserable conditions everywhere. The good news is that an improvement in the weather is underway, but there is no heatwave on the horizon. Temperatures will be about average for the time of the year but this will feel like an improvement on the unseasonably cold conditions of the last couple of weeks.
Thursday will be showery with highest temperatures of between 13 and 16 degrees. Friday and Saturday will be more of the same.
At the moment it looks like the early days of next week will be dry with sunny spells, light winds and temperatures of around 13 to 17 degrees.
