The spring months may have been among the coldest on record – but today was confirmed as the warmest day of the year so far by Met Éireann. The highest temperature of 22.9 degrees today was to be found at the aptly named Furnace, in Newport, Co Mayo.
The west of the country enjoyed the best of the warm weather, with Mount Dillon in Co Roscommon hitting 22.2 degrees, while Gorteen, Co Tipperary, and Athenry, Co Galway, were just behind on 21.8 degrees. “The highest temperatures were in the west because the wind was coming in from the southeast,” said a spokesman for Met Éireann.
He said it was “very likely” the weather would remain the same over the coming days and that “no major changes” were expected.
“There will be plenty of sunshine and temperatures will move a few degrees above 20 in the west and a few degrees lower in the high teens in the rest of the country. “We’re not likely to have any of the extreme weather conditions seen this week in Europe,” he said.
Meanwhile, Met Éireann today confirmed that temperatures during spring this year were at their lowest in 62 years.
There were below average temperatures across the country. Icy spring Mean temperatures ranged from 5.9 degrees at Knock Airport to 8.4 degrees at Sherkin Island, off Co Cork.
All three months of the season reported below-average temperatures. March recorded the coldest conditions – with average drops in temperature of more than 3.5 degrees in parts of the midlands and the east.
Casement Aerodrome reported a seasonal mean of 6.7 degrees, which was 1.8 degrees below its average and the coldest spring at the station since it opened 47 years ago.
Dublin Airport reported its coldest spring since 1951. A majority of remaining stations reported their coldest spring in 15 to 34 years. Almost all seasonal highest maximum temperatures at stations were recorded during the last week of May – but the season’s highest maximum of 21.5 degrees was recorded at Cork’s Clover Hill on April 23rd.
The highest maximum of 15 degrees at Valentia Observatory on May 29th was its lowest spring maximum since 1940. Most other stations reported lowest maximum temperatures in at least eight to 34 years.
Chilly Markree Seasonal lowest minimum temperatures were mainly recorded on March 12th and April 6th, with spring’s lowest minimum temperature of -7.6 degrees recorded at Markree, Co Sligo, on April 6th.
Rainfall totals were below average for spring in parts of the midlands, the west and southeast, with above-average values elsewhere.
All three months showed variable rainfall across the country, with driest conditions generally recorded in parts during March and wettest conditions in May. Claremorris and Casement Aerodrome recorded 285.3mm and 162.5 mm respectively – their wettest springs since 2006 and 2008.
The wettest day of the season was at Cork Airport on March 21st with 41.2mm – its wettest spring day since 2003. Belmullet’s wettest day of 29.3mm on May 18th was its wettest day during Spring since records began there in 1957. Sunshine totals were below average almost everywhere, except at Shannon Airport. The sunniest spring day was recorded at Cork Airport on May 23rd with 14.6 hours of sunshine.
