Ireland Weather: Everything You Need To Know

Ireland Climate 

Ireland is surrounded by seas and oceans. On its east are North Channel and the Irish Sea, on the south is the Celtic Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean is on its west and north. The climate of Ireland, therefore, is oceanic temperate with comfortable summers and not so cold but damp winters.

The western part of Ireland sees more rains and thunderstorms than the east because of the Atlantic. The island of Ireland (Republic of Ireland- ROI and Northern Ireland- part of the UK) usually doesn’t face extreme weather. However, like Scotland, Ireland also sees unpredictable climate changes. So the same saying goes for this country too… “If you do not like the weather, wait for 5 minutes it will change”.

So far the highest temperature recorded is 33.3 degrees C and the lowest of -19.1 degrees. Inland areas of Ireland see warmer summers and cooler winters, some places see sub-zero temperatures for around 40 days a year.

We will look into three different places to get a comprehensive weather pattern of Ireland… Belfast (UK) from the northeast, Dublin (ROI) from central-east and Galway (ROI) from central west.

Temperature

There is not much difference in the temperature pattern of these three places. Galway sees slightly warmer temperatures than Belfast and Dublin but is relatively wetter than the two. Temperature normally does not take sub-zero dips in these three places.

Belfast

Winter (December to February): Maximum day temperature ranges from 7.9 degrees to 8.3 degrees C in winters. Day’s minimum temperature varies between 2.1 to 2.3 degrees. February sees the highest (8.3 degrees) and the lowest (2.1 degrees) in winters.

Spring (March to May):  Both maximum and minimum day temperatures gradually go up during the spring. The maximum day temperature of spring is 15.4 degrees in May and the minimum is 3.5 degrees in March. The difference between the maximum and minimum temperature ranges between 7 to 8 degrees in spring.

Summer (June to August): Summers are most comfortable in Belfast with maximum temperature generally not crossing 20 degrees and the minimum temperature hovering around 10 degrees. July sees the highest of 19.7 degrees Celsius.

Autumn (September to November): September is the warmest month of autumn while November is the coolest month. The maximum day temperature during autumn is 17.1 degrees in September.

Dublin

Winter (December to February): Dublin sees almost the same temperature pattern in winters as Belfast with maximum day temperature hovering around 8 degrees and minimum around 2 degrees.

Spring (March to May): Spring sees a steady increase in temperatures with maximum day temperature reaching 14.8 degrees in May. The difference between the maximum and the minimum temperature hovers around 7.5 degrees.

Summer (June to August): Summer in Dublin too is the most comfortable season with warm day temperatures and not so cold nights. Maximum temperature reaches up to 19.5 degrees in the month of July.

Autumn (September to November): The early part of autumn is very comfortable with maximum temperature hovering around 17 degrees but the later part sees steep fall in temperatures accompanied by damp climate.

Galway

Winter (December to February): Maximum temperature during winter remains around 8 degrees in Galway. The coolest month is January with a maximum day temperature of 8.7 degrees and the minimum is 3.5 degrees C.

Spring (March to May): Maximum temperature touches almost 16 degrees in the last part of the spring. Since spring is rather drier in Galway the weather remains nice although the unpredictability of the Irish climate should also be taken into consideration.

Summer (June to August): Galway sees warmer summer with maximum day temperature reaching 20.5 degrees Celsius in July. The minimum night temperature normally does not go down below 10.

Autumn (September to November): Autumn is warmer than spring in Galway but much damper. The maximum day temperature during this period is 17.3 in September and the minimum night temperature is 5.1 degrees in November.

(See the weather charts)

Sea Temperature

Sea temperature generally lags a month behind atmospheric temperatures. So the oceans around the island of Ireland are coolest in February and warmest in August. During winter, the east and northeast coast of Ireland witness cooler sea temperatures (7 degrees) than the southwest coast (10 degrees). During summer the sea surface temperature of east and northeast reach 13 degrees C and south coast 15.5 degrees. The highest sea temperature around Ireland in 30 years (recorded in 1995) was 17.5 degrees C and in the month of August.

Rainfall

The western coast of Ireland receives more rainfall due to the influence of the Atlantic. Autumn and winter see the maximum rain. Normally the entire island sees rainfall throughout the year. Belfast receives moderate rain whereas Dublin receives mild to moderate rainfall and Galway receives moderate to heavy rainfall all along the year.

During winter Belfast sees an average of 90 mm rain in 14 rainy days per month whereas Dublin receives an average of 60 mm rain per month during winter with 11 rainy days. Belfast receives an average rainfall of 70 mm per month during spring and summer. Dublin sees around 60 mm rain per month during the same period.

Belfast sees maximum rainfall in autumn with a monthly average of 90 mm. Dublin’s rainy season is also autumn but it receives lesser rain (70 mm per month). As mentioned earlier that Galway in the western part of Ireland has a history of receiving more rains. Galway in winter sees an average of 110 mm rain per month, while in spring the monthly average is 75 mm and in summer monthly average rainfall is 87 mm. During autumn Galway receives an average of 116 mm rainfall per month with a year’s highest of 130 mm in October. (See charts).

Humidity

Belfast and Galway are more humid than Dublin. The yearly average humidity per month in Belfast is almost 83% and in Galway, it is slightly over 83%. The monthly average relative humidity in Dublin is 68%. December and January see the highest humidity (of 90%) in Belfast while the minimum humid month here is May (75%). As for Dublin, the maximum humid month is January (81%) and the minimum is the month of March (71%). Like Belfast the humidity in Galway peaks in January (to 90%) and gets down to the lowest in May (75%).   (See chart).

Sunny Days

Overall Ireland sees relatively fewer sunny days due to frost and cloudy conditions. The total sunshine hours that Belfast sees annually are 1,247 hours. The monthly average is around 104 sunny hours and the daily average is 3.4 hours. May sees the highest sunshine with an average of 182 hours and December has the lowest sunny days experiencing only 34 hours of sun.

Dublin is a little luckier than Belfast with total yearly sunny hours of 1,360 and a monthly average of 113 hours and a daily average of 3.7 hours. May sees the highest sun for 186 hours while December sees the lowest for 46 hours only.

Galway experiences 1,212 sunshine hours in a year with a monthly average of 101 sunshine hours and a daily average of 3.3 hours only. Like the other two cities, May experiences a maximum of 188 sunny hours and December sees the lowest for 34 hours only. (See weather chart).

Wind Speed

Ireland faces gusty winds throughout the year. Although the western coast occasionally witnesses oceanic storms, the wind speed is more at the eastern coast on average. Belfast sees maximum wind speed during winter and spring with the highest wind speed of 20 KPH while the lowest wind speed is 17 KPH in the month of July.

For Dublin also winter is the season with the highest wind speed with 23 KPH in January and the lowest during the summer at 16 KPH. In comparison with Dublin, Galway sees milder wind speed… 18 KPH during winter and 11 KPH in late summer.

Snowfall

Inland areas of Ireland (ROI) receive snow for around 10 days per year during winter and early spring while coastal Ireland receives much lesser snow for 1 to 2 days per year. The amount of snowfall varies from region to region with very little in the southern part and mild in central west Ireland. Central east receives moderate snowfall with an average of 14 inches of yearly snow.

Northern Ireland (UK) sees varied snowfall between its eastern coast and western inland. In the east, there are around 15 days of snow or sleets annually, whereas, on the mountains of Sperrin, Antrim and Mourne, snowfall lasts for 35 to 40 days a year.

Belfast

Dublin

Galway

Best Time to Visit Ireland

Emerald green meadows and the ruins of the castles along with breathtaking cathedrals make Ireland a great destination for tourists. Weather charts above suggest that late spring and early summers are the best time to visit Ireland… comfortable temperatures, fewer showers & humidity, and more sunny hours make Ireland an ideal destination during this period.

Early autumn also offers good weather conditions although there can be a little more rain. Winter is cold, humid and wetter. Like Scotland, remember that the weather of Ireland is also quite unpredictable. So be prepared to experience cloudy and rainy summer or spring days. On the other hand, you might be surprised to experience a clear and sunny week in autumn.

But whatever the weather conditions are, with good preparations you can always visit Ireland.

Travel Tips

When you stroll around the city or during your day trips do not forget to carry an umbrella or raincoat. A bright sunny morning can deceive you; weather can change dramatically in this country. And last but not least… it is better to invest in a high-quality rain jacket than carrying an umbrella… this can help you negotiate the wind conditions better. And also do take along appropriate shoes.

Climate highlights of Belfast

• Late spring and summer are the best time with pleasant average temperatures with light to moderate rainfall
• July is the warmest month
• January is the coolest month
• October is the dampest month
• May is the driest month

Climate highlights of Dublin

• Late spring and early summer are the best time and usually have pleasant weather
• Autumn and winter receive moderate rainfall
• Keep yourself prepared for the sudden weather change
• July is the driest month
• October is the wettest month

Climate highlights of Galway

• Late spring and early summer are the best time and usually have pleasant weather
• Autumn and winter receive heavy rainfall
• Keep yourself ready to face sudden showers
• April is the driest month
• October is the dampest month

Also Read

• About tourism in Ireland