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Ireland - Climate

Irish weather can be unpredictable. Ireland's climate is influenced most by the Atlantic Ocean. As a result, it doesn’t have the extreme temperatures that other countries at similar latitude would have. The average temperature is a mild 50°F. A major warm ocean current called the North Atlantic Drift keeps sea temperatures mild too. Hills and mountains, mainly around the coast, shelter the rest of the island from strong winds coming off the ocean. So while the weather can be changeable – it's rarely extreme.

In Ireland the air is mild and temperate, being cooler in summer, and warmer in winter, than in England; though it is not so clear and pure, nor so proper for ripening corn and fruits. In spring (February to April), the average highest temperatures range from 46 to 54°F, with April considered particularly pleasant. In summer (May to July), the averages for highest temperatures are between 64 and 68°F. The warmest months, July and August, get about 18 hours of daylight and it gets dark only after 11pm. Hence the well-worn phrase in Ireland; "sure there's a grand stretch in the evenings".

In autumn, (August to October) highest temperatures hit between 64 and 57°F. September is considered a mild, temperate month. Winter air temperatures inland normally reach 46°F, while the coldest months are January and February. The temperature drops below freezing intermittently, and apart from a few freak cold snaps, snow is scarce.

The Environmental Protection Agency Climate Change Research Programme carries out relevant and up to date studies on climate change in Ireland. Analysis of the meteorological records shows that Ireland’s climate is changing in line with global patterns. The clearest trend is evident in the temperature records which show a mean temperature increase of 0.7° C between 1890 and 2008, i.e. an increase of 0.06° C per decade. The increase was 0.4° C during the period 1980-2008, i.e. equivalent to 0.14° C per decade.

Other indicators include:

• Six of the ten warmest years in Ireland have occurred since 1990
• A reduction in the number of frost days and shortening of frost season length
• An increase in annual rainfall in northern and western areas with decreases or small increases in the south and east.

These changes are reflected in Ireland’s natural environment with an increase in the growing season and with greater number of animals suited to warmer temperatures being evident in Ireland and its surrounding waters. In more recent years, another significant issue has emerged. Ocean Acidification will have harmful effects on marine organisms and has the potential to disrupt global marine ecosystems. For more information see the Marine Institute's report "Ocean Acidification: An Emerging Threat to our Marine Environment".

Climate change impacts are projected to increase in the coming decades and during the rest of this century. Uncertainties remain in relation to the scale and extent of these impacts, particularly during the second half of the century. The greatest uncertainly lies in how effective global actions will be in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Predicted adverse impacts include:

• sea level rise,
• more intense storms and rainfall events,
• increased likelihood and magnitude of river and coastal flooding and
• water shortages in summer in the east
• adverse impacts on water quality
• changes in distribution of plant and animal species
• effects on fisheries sensitive to changes in temperature

Mean seasonal temperature will change across Ireland. A number of studies have applied selected IPCC Special Reports on Emissions Scenarios (SRESs) to model climatic changes across Ireland at a regional scale. Despite the different methods and scenario combinations used, there is agreement in projected changes in temperature for Ireland. However, there are more disparities in the magnitude and sign for the precipitation changes projected for the island.

The stakeholder assessment of the fisheries sector indicates a fairly vulnerable sector where the assignation of sensitivities to higher classes is not balanced by the assessment of adaptive capacity. Overall, the stakeholder assessment for the coastal sector (which included an assessment of the built infrastructure) indicates a potentially vulnerable sector. While, for example, the assessment of adaptive capacity more or less offsets sensitivities in the intermediate category, this is not reflected in the balance of the adaptive capacity assessment across the classes. The stakeholder assessment of sensitivities for the energy sector assigned these as high. However, the sensitivities are offset by an assessment of high adaptive capacity for a sector not perceived as particularly vulnerable.