The long hot summer was nothing exceptional

THE heatwave this summer sent the mercury rising to peaks that the nation had not seen in what felt like forever.

However, while for some it felt like temperatures were hotter than ever before, this Irish summer was only the eighth hottest on record.

The summer with the highest average temperature is still 1983, followed by the legendarily balmy 1976.

Meanwhile, the summer months of 1984 and 1989 were in joint third position, as both experienced the same average temperature.

The three years of 1975, 1995 and 2006 all stand at number four on the list of Ireland’s hottest summers.

However, Met Éireann confirmed that summer of 2018 reached temperatures to put it as number eight on the list.

A Met Éireann spokesperson said that 2018 would possibly have been higher on the list if a cooler period at the end of August had not brought the average temperature down.

The forecaster’s weather summary for this summer was released yesterday, stating that the summer of 2018 would be ‘remembered for heatwave and drought conditions that affected many parts of the country’.

The report confirmed that at most stations throughout the country, temperatures were above normal and rainfall levels were below normal.

Finner, in Co. Donegal, was the only place in the country where the total rainfall did not drop below the seasonal average, while Cork Airport saw its driest summer since 1962.

Newport, in Co. Mayo, experienced the highest level of rainfall, while Dublin’s Phoenix Park saw the lowest.

The number of rain days ranged from between 29 days at both the Phoenix Park in Dublin and Casement Aerodrome, in Co. Dublin, to 57 days at Finner, Co. Donegal.

The highest average temperature was 16.8C at Oak Park, Co. Carlow, while the lowest was 14.3C at Malin Head, Co. Donegal.

The part of the country that saw the most sunshine was Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford, getting an average of 7.5 hours per day. Knock Airport had the lowest amount of sunshine with a daily average of only 4.5 hours.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Ireland was 33.3C at Kilkenny Castle on June 26, 1887.