Ireland

Coldest September for six years, says Met Éireann

North and northwest buck trend, with forecaster marking them as the sunniest parts of Ireland last month

In terms of rainfall, Met Éireann said the northwest was the driest with the wettest conditions in the east and south. Photograph: Tom Honan
In terms of rainfall, Met Éireann said the northwest was the driest with the wettest conditions in the east and south. Photograph: Tom Honan
Sarah Slater
Wed Oct 02 2024 - 18:37

Last month was the coldest September for six years, according to Met Éireann, with an average temperature of 13.2 degrees.

The weather was cool and dry overall, but with wide ranging variations seen in the regions throughout the month.

It was the coldest September at 17 weather stations since 2018 and the coldest at two since 2015. More than half of stations reported ground frost during the month.

In terms of rainfall, the forecaster said data showed northwest region was, for a change, the driest with the wettest conditions in the east and south.

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The north and northwest bucked its normal trend of being the dullest region, with Met Éireann marking them as the sunniest parts of Ireland in September as high-pressure systems dominated. The south and east saw more rain, wind and cloud as a result of low-pressure fronts.

Met Éireann noted that the “warmest September on record was in 2021″ with an average temperature of 15.27 degrees, while the “coldest was in 1918″ with an average temperature of 10.94 degrees.

There was an average of 63.6mm of rainfall during the month, making it the second driest of the year behind June (20.8mm) and the 14th driest September since 1941.

Nearly all rainfall totals were below their 1981-2010 Long-Term Average for the month. The highest daily rainfall total was 51.3mm at Cork Airport last Sunday, its highest daily figure in September since 1965. The number of rain days ranged from 10 days at Sherkin Island, Co Cork to 20 at Knock Airport, Co Mayo.

There were no strong gales or storm-force winds reported during the month, with the highest gust, 48 knots or 88km/h, recorded at Roche’s Point in Co Cork last Sunday.