Climate of Ireland

Ireland enjoys a temperate maritime climate due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the presence of the Gulf Stream. Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle because lush greenery. However, the local climate differs from place to place across Ireland.

During winters, Ireland gets to see lot of clouds and rain with the occasional sunny spell. Although the mountains are covered with snow for many weeks in winter, but the lower ground get to see snow only a few days a year. The winter Temperatures ranges around an average of 5ºC during the day and often drops below freezing point at nights. Ice and frosts are common a feature because of this. there are a few weeks every winter when the temperature remains at the freezing point all day out resulting in partial freezing of the rivers and lakes.

Summers in Ireland are warm with sunny weather and a sky often speckled with gentle clouds. Occasional light rain spells can be experienced though summer rain is usually restricted to a few wet days. During the months of July and August, the climate is very humid resulting in thunderstorms with lightning. The average temperature in summer hovers around 15ºC, although it can go beyond 30ºC at times.

The coastal areas do not experience much difference between summer and winter climatic conditions. With an average of 10ºC difference between January and July, the weather is much more consistent than continental areas of the world. It is due to moderating effect of the Atlantic Ocean, which absorbs heat in summer and exudes in winter.

The wettest weather always occurs in mountains particularly to the east of the mountains, which is the direction of the prevailing wind. The classic examples are Kerry, Galway and Donegal. The driest weather occurs towards east of areas with few mountains such as the east coast. The counties of Dublin and Kildare enjoy the driest weather. The south enjoys the warmest weather as far as temperature is concerned. While the north coast is cooler than the south, the coolest areas are the inland areas, which are away from the warm waters of the ocean.

The prevailing winds run from the southwest, i.e., the direction of the Gulf Stream, which brings temperate conditions in the form of low-pressure depressions. Occasionally, there is a “blast from the north” bringing very cold weather from the Arctic in the form of polar winds, snow and frost. When Ireland receives wind from the east, which is not so common, it experiences either hot dry weather (summer) or cold dry weather (winter).

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