As per Met Éireann, Ireland experienced one of its chilliest Junes in recent memory, following its warmest May recorded. Throughout the nation last month, temperatures were generally below average, with the coldest temperatures noted in the northwest region. The monthly average temperature was 13.18 degrees Celsius, landing it as the 56th chilliest June in 125 years of Met Éireann records, and the coldest June since 2015. This stood in stark contrast to June 2023, when the average temperature reached a temperate 16.22 degrees.
The overall weather last month was noticeably cool and dry, with temperatures barely two degrees above the record coldest June — which clocked an average of 11.08 degrees in 1972. Met Éireann’s climatologist, Paul Moore, explained that such extreme fluctuations are expected, considering Ireland’s geographical position. He noted that if northerly Arctic winds dominate— as they did in the first half of June, accompanied by Ireland being on the northern side of the jet stream — cooler than average temperatures can still be expected, despite global warming.
However, Mr. Moore highlighted that although it’s too soon for precise predictions, long-range forecasts project above-average temperatures for the approaching months of July and August.
The highest temperature last month — a balmy 26.6 degrees — was observed at Dublin’s Phoenix Park on 24th June, coinciding with a tropical maritime air mass sweeping in from the southwest. The lowest recorded temperature, a chilly 1.8 degrees, was noted in Claremorris, Co Mayo during nighttime. While no air frost was reported in June, ground frost occurrences varied from none at Shannon Airport in Co Clare to four days in locales including Mullingar, Co Westmeath, and Mount Dillon, Co Roscommon. Lastly, the monthly sunshine hours varied from a low of 124.7 at Belmullet, Co Mayo, to a high of 181.3 at Cork Airport, with the sunniest day on record in Gurteen, Co Tipperary, lasting 15.9 hours on 19th June.
Across the nation, every region experienced lower than average rainfall for the month. The weather station at Cork Airport posted its lowest June rainfall figures since 2018. In terms of rainy days, there was a wide range, with a low of nine days observed at both Roche’s Point and Cork Airport in County Cork, and a high of 23 days in Malin Head, County Donegal.