July was the second hottest July in Ireland since 1900

Last month saw a national mean temperature of 17.25°C.

The national mean temperature for the month was 17.25°C, which is 1.87°C above the long-term average for the period 1991-2020, and 2.4°C above the long-term average for 1961-1990. The highest temperature (30.0°C) was recorded on Sunday, July 10th at Valentia Observatory in Co. Kerry. In terms of rainfall, the country saw 16mm for the month, which is just 17% of the long-term average for 1991-2020.

Across the county, a number of weather stations broke their own records. Cork Airport experienced is driest, warmest and sunniest July on record while Johnstown Castle in Co. Wexford had its driest and sunniest month. Provisional data from Met Éireann also suggests that Johnstown Castle broke the record for sunniest month, with 332.4 hours of sunshine recorded.

Other weather stations that experienced their warmest month on record include Moore Park, Co. Cork, Oak Park, Co. Carlow, Phoenix Park and Casement Aerodrome in Co. Dublin. Moore Park reported a heatwave lasting 13 days, Ireland's second longest heatwave on record. The longest heatwave on record lasted 14 days and was recorded at Birr, Co. Offaly and Ballybrittas, Co. Laois in August 1976.

Met Éireann has said that the dry, warm, sunny weather was due to high pressure, while Atlantic weather fronts remained in the north and west for the majority of July. This setup, the weather institute says, resulted in "a lot of sunshine", with the south and east of the country particularly affected.

High temperatures were recorded across Europe throughout July. France experienced its hottest July on record, while Spain experienced its hottest and driest July on record, with an average national temperature of 25.7°C.

Feature image: Leah Farrell, RollingNews.ie