Ireland had its warmest and sunniest April in history!

Ireland had its warmest and sunniest April on record this year. Irish weather stations at Birr, Malin Head and in the Phoenix Park in Dublin, where records began more than a century ago, reported the warmest April ever. Met Eireann says that the average temperatures varied between 10C and 11.50C – nearly three degrees higher than normal for May, never mind April! It was also the sunniest April on record almost everywhere, with monthly totals around 50% higher than normal.

Despite the very high monthly values, minimum temperatures fell sharply on several nights under clear skies and there were between 12 and 18 ground frosts recorded at inland stations, around a third more than normal for April.

Monthly rainfall totals were well below normal except in the northwest, with the driest April on record at Shannon Airport. The soil was very dry: soil moisture deficits increased significantly during the month – with the very dry conditions leading to outbreaks of gores fires in many parts of the country.