Sligo takes its share of wet and windy weather over Christmas
FROM today, Thursday, the wet and windy weather over Christmas and New Year which has left farmland in the county saturated looks likely to abate with much colder temperatures forecast by Met Éireann as we move into the weekend.
With below average rainfall expected over the next seven days there will be some recovery to the soils, in particular to moderately drained soils which will recover slightly to mostly saturated conditions.
Well drained soils will remain saturated while poorly drained soils will remain waterlogged.
Met Éireann said that sunny spells and some showers are expected today, Thursday, with light to moderate variable winds. Afternoon temperatures will range from 5° to 9°.
It will be mainly dry tonight, Thursday, with clear spells, some showers in Atlantic coastal counties. It will be cold with lowest temperatures of 0° to 4° in light to moderate west to northwest winds.
Current indications suggest that Friday will be dry and sunny at first, some showers in the west could push inland later in the day. The weekend will bring colder conditions with dry and bright spells, some showers are also possible.
Met Éireann said that drying conditions and spraying opportunities will be poor this week due to rain and showers.
Meanwhile, when data is fully confirmed, it is expected that 2023 will be the warmest year on record for Ireland, beating the previous warmest year of 2022.
For the first time, Ireland's annual average temperature is greater than 11°C (record length 124 years). 2022 was the previous warmest year on record at nearly 10.9°C, narrowly beating 2007 by just 0.1°C.
Keith Lambkin, Head of Climate Services at Met Éireann said: “Ireland has seen a remarkable year with rainfall and warming at unprecedented levels at times. These record-breaking extremes have knock-on consequences to much of society. Past weather events are no longer a reliable indicator of future weather events, but knowing this allows us to better plan and adapt to our changing climate.”
In brief, here's the key points in terms of our weather in 2023: It was the warmest year on record for Ireland (record length 124 years); For the first time, Ireland's average annual temperature rises above 11°C; 2023 saw the warmest June on record; 2023 saw the wettest March and the wettest July on record; For the first time in 23 years, four months of the year were within their top five warmest months on record (average stays between one and two months every year since the year 2000).