Temperatures across the State rose by almost one degree on average during 2002, according to Met Éireann figures for the year.
Mean temperatures ranged between 10 and 11 degrees at most stations on average, and for the ninth successive year were above normal levels, based on 1961-1990 measurements.
All weather stations saw an increase in temperatures above "normal", the 30-year average - from 0.5 degrees at Valentia to 1.1 degrees at Rosslare. Met Éireann put the average increase at "almost one degree".
Forecaster Mr Vincent O'Shea said the milder weather was one of two "startling" features of 2002, the other being the increase in rainfall.
"Every single station except Malin Head saw above-normal rainfall, while Dublin Airport and Valentia broke their records. It is difficult to say whether it was the wettest year on record but we can infer that it was very wet countrywide," he said.
The number of "wet days" during the year, namely days with 1mm rainfall or more, was also higher than normal, ranging from around 150 in eastern areas to more than 200 in parts of the west and south-west.
The wettest months relative to normal were February, May, October and November, when serious flooding occurred in rural and urban areas. The only months that were dryer than normal were August and September.
As for temperatures, June, July and October were a little cooler than normal over most of the State, while January, February and November were more than two degrees higher than normal in a number of places.
Almost every station recorded its highest temperature of the year during late July or early August when a year-topping 25.6 degrees was measured at Clones. Mr O'Shea said this compared poorly with recent years when the highest measurement was normally around 31 degrees.
New Year's Day 2002 saw the lowest temperatures of the year in most places when ground temperatures fell below minus 10 degrees inland.
As for wind speeds, they were below normal everywhere in 2002, ranging between seven and 11 knots (eight and 13 m.p.h.) at most stations. The strongest winds of the year were measured during late January and late October, with Malin Head measuring the highest gust of 86 knots (99 m.p.h.) on January 28th.
Rosslare saw the most amount of sunshine in 2002 (66 days), Birr the least (49 days).
