No White Christmas 2012 for Ireland

The odds of a white Christmas for Ireland have almost disappeared. 

There is a chance that it will be cold on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day nights and that some of the showers might be wintry but the confidence on this outcome is quite low and it would look like we are set for temperatures of 7 to 9c on the big day itself possibly dipping to 1 to 3c during the night.

As is normally the case it would appear that the North has the best chance of seeing any flake of snow falling on the big day followed by the Northwest of Ireland and then the West. 

Dublins weather  on Christmas day will be a max of 7 or 8c and a min of 2c. There will be a few brief showers but it should be mostly dry there.

Sligo on the other hand will see more showers and temperatures by day of 9c and a strong breeze. This will work against any possible wintriness during the night but inland areas could get hail if the wind eases and the sky clears for a couple of hours between the precipitation.

As we head into the New Year of 2013 the weather looks like it could get very mild with a temperature of 13 or even 14c a possibility. High Pressure will be situated in the same area as it was last Christmas but a week late and this will bring wind and rain to Connaught and Ulster but a lot of dry and cloudy but mild weather to Leinster and Munster.

Cold Weather to Continue

While it is very difficult to pinpoint just whether it is going to snow in the next 7 to 10 days it is going to be cold with temperatures in single figures on most days. Perhaps Sunday 2nd December and Monday 3rd December will see some mild wet weather and temperatures of 11c. 

Will we see snow?

After this it gets cold again and the temperatures drop to 6 or 7c once again with frost at night time. If shower activity behind fronts from the Northwest is strong enough and falls late at night there could be some mixed precipitation or wet snow. Certainly the mountain tips will get a dusting.

The Christmas weather will soon be here upon us too and people dream of snow and ice unless you are a motorist. It certainly looks like cold weather is going to continue up to the middle of December, however there will be some very short mild bursts and there could be one such burst on the Big Day itself. However after this it looks like more cold weather will come in from the Northwest.

Snow on way?

The weather models are showing there is a probable drop in temperatures for the end of November and into the beginning of December. This will result in some very low temperatures. As we know in Ireland because of our Atlantic maritime position this does not always mean there will be snow but the winds will be from a Northern source so snow chances increase.

If these winds were to switch to a colder Northeaster from the Continent the chance of snow increases further and there appears to be one or two days at the end of November that this is going to indeed happen. After that of course the forecast looks a bit blurry but December looks likely to start very frosty over Ireland with any snowfall limited to Scotland and the Eastern coastline of England at this stage.

Windy perhaps Stormy

A lot of windy weather this week with the possibility of stormy conditions at times in the North and Northwest most especially on Tuesday afternoon and Thursday. There will also be a lot of heavy thundery rain with totals in some spots for the week of 60mm. The next time there is any chance of snow is at the end of November.

Milder Weather for rest of November

The rest of November will be quite mild as the Atlantic takes hold. After a very cold October it will be a welcome change to many people and there is going to be a good deal of dry weather at times too with temperatures expected to be 10 to 12c a lot of the time.

Frost and Snow that has been seen in small quantities to start the month will no longer be the case apart from a risk of some icy weather around the 10th and 14th November. For more on this see Snow Forecast

Chilly Start to November

November is going to start off very cold this year with wintry showers of hail or sleet at times and temperatures of only 5 to 8c during the day at times. They will rise up to 10 or 11c on some days but this will be the exception rather than the rule.

As the month moves on the cold only stays close to the East of Ireland and the milder air in the Atlantic begins to win out so snowfall is unlikely until later in the month or maybe early December. Certainly the period before Christmas will be dominated by temperatures being below normal as a blocking pattern becomes established in the Atlantic meaning the milder air is kept off our shores except for a few days.

It is expected that November will follow along the lines of something like this

Rainfall 115%
Sunshine 100%
Lowest Temperature -5c
Highest Temperature 13c
Snow Days 1-2
Frost Days 4-6
Average Temperature 6.5c

Cold October to Continue

October 2012 has turned out to be a very cold month indeed with a mean temperature of only 8 to 10c in Ireland so far and temperatures down as low as minus 1 celcius. This pattern looks set to continue.

October 2012 sunnier than normal

Low pressure systems are streaming down from our Northwest much like they have been in a number of our Summers but because it is October it is even colder. If this were to happen in December or January say, there is a high chance of widespread snowfall. However as it is early Fall it only brings frost and fog to most areas as the the moisture escapes from the land creating very picturesque scenes.

So what is the long range weather then. Well weathergossip is still looking at a cold October followed by a mild November and December. It is probable that October in Sligo will turn out something like this in 2012.

Average Temperature 9.5c
Rainfall 110mm
Wind High Gust 55knt
Sunshine 120%
Frost Days 2 - 4
Fog 2 - 4
High Temperature 17c
Low Temperature -2c

Wet October start

October has started off very wet indeed with heavy showers. Now it looks like there may be some dry weather on the way this weekend but it will only be shortlived as another large Low Pressure system approaches from the Southwest.

Stormy End to September

October 2012 will be settled

As we head to the end of the month of September Ireland and the UK have got a real hammering from a deep area of Low Pressure on September 24th and 25th. This has brought up to 50mm of rain to the East coast of Ireland with the worst effected areas being Dublin, Meath and Wicklow. 

October looks set to be a lot quieter and drier and temperatures will be above normal for the first 10 days of the month.

This after a September with rainfall and sunshine around normal. So far the Autumn has not been too bad weatherwise in Ireland.

Drier September

A warm September overall

September is finally here and after the dampness and heavy showers of the Summer it is hoped that it will bring a lot more in the way of dry weather to Ireland. Indeed September tends to bring a lot of dry weather in recent years as the kids go back to school and people give up on the idea of a Summer it often happens that we then get a spell of nice warm and dry weather to show how unpredictable the weather can be.

This September is no different as the High that eluded our shores during the Summer finally makes an appearance. The first half of the month in particular looks dry and mild or even warm with the temperatures in the range of 18 to 22c. These temperatures are more akin to values that Ireland should get on a good July. 

The second half of September will see more seasonal values as some cooler air pools back in over Ireland and the weather will see more in the way of rain with the temperatures of around 13 to 17c and by then too night time values will probably be a lot lower at 8 or 9c. For the first half of the month the night values will be 13 or 14c at times meaning the average temperature this September could be as high as 14c.

Rainfall for the month is going to be quite low except towards the end of the month there could be some wet and windy episodes and this will bring it near normal but after such a wet Summer September will be the first below normal rainfall month in quite a while.

Unsettled and Wet for rest of August

After the recent warm spell of 8th to 12th August which brought a temperature of 26.5c to Shannon there is going to be a lot of rain or showers for the rest of the month of August. It will also be windy at times too and rainfall figures will be well above normal. Temperatures will be mild though at 16 to 19c.

Mini Heatwave

A mini heatwave for the 9th and 10th of August with temperatures of up to 25 or even 26c. Then at the weekend some very heavy showers could break out as a result of the heat so we will be back to square one with the weather again. However the Low Pressure tends to stay out to the West as opposed to over us so while it will be showery it should stay quite warm, at least warmer than we expected a few weeks ago. The last few Augusts have been very cool but 2012 looks like a warmer one. 

Arctic Sea Ice this year will finish at a record low level by the looks of things and this could have implications on our weather in the future as the sea temperature warms and cool meltwater interferes with the Gulf Stream.

Wet and Windy August

Wet and Windy August

August is going to start very windy in all parts of Ireland with winds of up to 50mph in parts of the West. Temperatures of 17 or 18c can be expected. It looks quite a cool month overall but there will be an odd day or two when the temperature goes over 20c. However 15 to 18c will probably be the normal range in temperature for this month and rainfall will be 150% of normal. Overall mean temperature will be down 1c on mean.

Warmer and Drier

At last some warmer and drier weather all the way until the end of July so it should remain pleasant in the East and South especially on all of the days with temperatures of 20 to 22c. 


In the West and North a different picture the rainfall from time to time and temperatures of 16 to 18c though it will break 20c on occasions in any sunshine. Later in the month it should be dry in all parts of Ireland.

July same as June but warmer

Fota Wildlife Park Cork

July will be very wet at times just like June in Ireland but will possibly be that bit warmer with temperatures of 19 to 21c on a lot of occasions. Rainfall will again be heavy and though there will be warm spells, firstly at the start of the month, though the cool and unsettled theme will always continue.


Expect a monthly average of 14.1c


Expect Rainfall of 130%


Expect Sunshine around normal

Update on June Weather

It will remain unsettled with rain or showers at times all the way up until the end of June with no real sign of any warmer weather in the offing. June is on track to be the wettest in over 50 years in parts of Munster and Leinster.

Flaming Thundery June

Thundery Showers for June 

After the warm end to May, June will begin on a warm note too but this will be a finely balanced act as High Pressure and Lows battle to see who will reside on our shores.


 A slack airflow could result in some very interesting thunderstorms and rainfall totals for the month could be very high even if there is going to be a lot of warm sunshine too. 


Toward mid-month it looks as if cooler fresher conditions will become established until the end of June but overall it will be a warmer month than normal for Ireland.

May will be Cool and Unsettled

Unsettled outlook for May

UPDATE: The weather looks set to warm up May 21st to the end of the month with some sunshine and only showery rain in the West. Temperatures of 18 to 24c by the end of the month are possible after 20 days of freezing cold weather for Ireland.


It not looking great for May this year either with a lot of cool and unsettled weather on the way for Ireland for much of the month. Perhaps only at the end will we see anything resembling Summer-like weather. Temperatures will be disappointing too and will be in the mid-teens at best, possibly a little higher towards the end of the month.


As regards rainfall perhaps the East is going to start off with the high rainfall amounts but after the first few days all parts will get some rain from time to time and later on the North and West will get their fair share too. The weather has been a lot drier in the North and West of Ireland in recent weeks than it was during the Winter but the temperatures are 2c below what they should be at for the time of year.


Sunshine for May will start off above normal too but will probably fall off as the month goes on and low pressures visit our shores once more. Will it be as windy as the tree burning May of 2011, well it does not look   like wind will be a major issue this year so that's perhaps the one good thing.


Not a very cheerful pictures folks so perhaps if you are booking a holiday to Ireland this Summer I would suggest maybe giving June a look instead.

April will be Cool and Showery

Just like any ordinary April it will be quite cool and showery for the month in 2012. Some dry days can be expected too especially in the South and East but with a Northerly wind source a lot of the time the temperatures will not respond very well to any sunshine. This could possibly be the first Month of 2012 that will have a mean temperature below Normal after 3 mild months in a row. A far cry from 22c in March.

Sunshine and Showers for April

For the Easter Weekend the weather wont start off too bad, just cloudy and dry with some light rain in the North and temperatures of 10 to 13c but as the weekend goes on the weather gets worse and by the end of the Easter Im afraid it will be quite wet. 


Currently there has been just 42mm of rain in Sligo since the start of April, it is very possible that be the end of next week that this figure will be above 50 or 60mm. The weather will be quite cool too especially in the first half of April resulting in the odd wintry outbreak and some snow over the high hills.

Showers will be caused at times by the convection of the heat of the sun during the day on cold land surfaces resulting in some thundery showers too and some areas could see a lot more in the way of rain than others. Around the middle of April it looks like it will get stormy for a time before a return to sunshine and blustery showers. At the end of the month then it looks like High Pressure will try and push in but there will still be some isolated showers at times.

Rest of March Dry

March will see little or no rain for the remainder of the month as High Pressure takes hold over Ireland. With temperatures rising too the water levels will be quite low. Temperatures are expected to get up to 18c in the West of Ireland while the East will be a cooler 12 or 13c due to an onshore breeze. Further into the month High pressure still remains dominant but the temperatures will drop back to between 9 and 13c.

2012 has been mild mild mild

What a mild month and year it has been so far in Ireland. The weather is very gloomy though isnt it and there hasnt been a lot of sun at all in some Atlantic areas with just cloudy misty days. Over St Patricks weekend there will be a little more variety in the weather with some cooler and unsettled weather coming in but this will bring more in the way of rain or showers of course. 


Temperatures for 2012 are nearly 2c above normal for the country as a whole despite the fact that many parts of Europe had such a cold February, Ireland largely escaped this and saw a lot of mild weather. The weekend will see one or two frosts but as the month of March goes on it looks like the weather will get mild and stay that way for most of the rest of the month.

Mild March

Cloudy but mild March

March has turned out to be very mild hasnt it? In fact most of 2012 has been mild in Ireland apart from one or two very brief cold spells and you could count on two hands the number of severe frosts that we have experienced. The weather is set to get cool for the Saint Patricks Day festivities but after that the Southwesterlies will return again with their mild weather and this time temperatures could climb up to 17 or 18c. This all depends on the amounts of sunshine and as we have seen so far in 2012 this has been scarce.

Why was Winter so Mild?

Just why was this Winter so mild in Ireland a lot of people are asking?

• High Pressure Remained to the South bringing Southwesterlies
• Low Pressure was much further North than 2010
• Increased cloud cover at night due to moist airflow
• Warm Sea Temperatures
• Winds coming in from the Atlantic
• Siberian Air just failing to reach our shores
• Windy weather at times prevented frost
• Lack of mobility at times meant prolonged mild spells
• Lack of Cold Weather in Europe until February

Sunny days were rare this Winter in Ireland

Very Mild Weather this Spring

So far this Spring has started on a remarkably mild note with a temperature of 14.4c already recorded in Sligo and we are not even at the end of February yet. Nationwide a temperature of 15.5c has been recorded in North Cork although these temperatures are well below the February record of 18.3c.

Mild Weather with temperatures of 15.5c recorded

There will be a couple of more attempts of at least getting near to this record or setting a station record next Monday and Tuesday though the mild weather looks set to end on March 3rd.


There after it is too early to say whether March is going to bring cold weather but it will probably bring more seasonable temperatures of in or around 8 or 9c all the way up to Saint Patrick's Day.

Cold February

February has turned out to be quite cold so far and some stations are only averaging just over 0c due to severe night time frosts. Of course Ireland has escaped the severe weather of Europe that has left many people dead with blizzards and wintry conditions there bringing temperatures of minus 36 and lower in some rural spots.


Will we continue to escape. What looks like happening is that the cold weather in Europe is going to come up against the mild Atlantic weather just to the West of Ireland. Despite this most of the precipitation that falls looks like being rain as it will fall along the Western half of Ireland where the milder temperatures will be. Here it will be 6 or 7c though it will drop to 4 or 5c at times.


Further East it is drier and colder and if any of the rain makes inroads across the country it could turn to snow and this will cause all sorts of problems with transport and heating. It looks like a lot of dry cold weather will extend to Ireland around the 8th February so conditions should not be too bad.


Further on into the month there are the possibilities of one or two more snowy episodes mid month from the North and East and certainly Britain is going to be affected by these. In fact in the UK they could see a lot of snow accumulations in the next two to three weeks with temperatures below average there for most of the time.


Here in Ireland the temperatures will vary to just slightly below average in the West to below average in the East. There will be sharp to severe ground frosts too and night time temperatures will be between 0 and minus 5c at times. If there is any snow cover these temperatures could drop lower.

Colder for End of January

The Long Range Weather Forecast for Ireland is certainly containing a lot more in the way of colder episodes than the weeks just gone. 


It may not be cold all of the time but it will be cold enough for snow at higher levels quite a few times and this risk is going to extend to lower levels at times temporarily especially in the West and North of Ireland and more especially during the night. 


Frost could also be a problem if the temperatures are low at night for a sustained period and they will be more severe if there is any lying snow which acts as a coolant and brings down the temperature. 


Keep up with the latest here 

Winter Storms Cause Havoc

Some extremely stormy weather hit Ireland on January 3rd 2012 with a gust of 91knots recorded at Malin Head courtesy of Met Eireann. Sligo saw winds in excess of 65 miles per hour bringing down power lines in areas like Geevagh and Cliffoney and leaving a lot of homes in these areas without power.


Met Eireann have said that it was the windiest spell of weather since the storm of Stephens Day in 1998.


Over 1800 homes were still without power 24 hours after the storm hit but the ESB are working hard to restore power to these areas mainly along the Atlantic Seaboard.

Birds struggled in the High Winds

What is in the forecast for the coming few days well initially it continues windy and wet but towards the end of the week it will get a lot calmer and much milder as temperatures reach 11 or 12c and High Pressure builds to the South of Ireland and this will bring a lot more settled weather for most of the middle part of January.