From Friday May 29th through to Tuesday June 2nd, the maximum daytime temperatures rose steadily on each successive day, with the highest values achieved on the afternoon of Tuesday June 2nd. Sharing top spot were Claremorris Co Mayo and Birr Co Offaly, both of which saw the temperatures touch 27.5 degrees Celsius. The 27 degree target was also reached in Mountdillon Co Roscommon (27.1o) and Newport Co Mayo (27.0o). Temperatures of 26 degrees or greater were recorded across a wide swathe of the country, from Caherciveen in the southwest to Ballyhaise in Co Cavan.
These temperatures are higher than any recorded across Ireland during the 2007 and 2008; we have to go back to 2006 to find comparable weather, when temperatures topped 30 degrees in a few stations during July of that year.
In terms of June temperatures, the figure of 27.5 degrees represents the highest value achieved in both Birr and Claremorris in 14 years; in 1995 June values of 29.7 (Birr) and 29.0 (Claremorris) were recorded. The all time record June temperatures for both stations were set in 1976 when temperatures reached 31.2o and 29.8o respectively.
The other outstanding feature of the weather over the June weekend was the sunshine, with many stations recording between 14 and 15 hours of direct sunlight on June 1st and June 2nd in particular. However the longest duration of daily sunshine through the period was recorded in Knock airport on Wednesday 3rd - at 15.7 hours this represents the sunniest day recorded in Knock in its 13 years of weather measurement. Two stations recorded 15.5 hours; Cork Airport (Monday and Tuesday) and Caherciveen (Tuesday). Because the summer solstice falls in June the records for bright sunshine for almost all weather stations fall in this month; the exception is Rosslare whose sunniest day was in July 1971.
