Ireland’s summer of 2026 was the warmest on record, breaking numerous long-standing temperature records.
This year was the second one in a row in which the record was broken.
Last year’s average temperature of 16.19 degrees was just in advance of 1995, when it reached 16.11 degrees.
The UK Met Office has already declared that Northern Ireland had its hottest summer ever, breaking a record that also goes back to 1995.
Met Éireann will issue its bulletin on Thursday with further details of the summer season, but official statistics already released show unprecedented and prolonged periods of warm weather.
Fifteen official Met Éireann stations recorded more warm days – with temperatures higher than 20 degrees – than any other summer.
The Phoenix Park in Dublin had 68 days in the months of June, July or August where the temperature was above 20 degrees. The previous record was 61, set last year. Oak Park in Co Carlow, Casement in Dublin and Moore Park in Co Cork had 60 or more days.
In the cases of Casement and Dublin Airport, the number of warm days equalled or broke the 1995 record.
Shannon Airport in Co Clare, Athenry in Co Galway, Valentia Observatory in Co Kerry and the Phoenix Park had four consecutive months of 30-degree-plus temperatures beginning in May.
The previous record was two consecutive months at Shannon Airport and Birr Castle in Co Offaly in 1976 and at the Phoenix Park and Oak Park in 2022.
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Athenry set the highest temperature this summer with 32.2 degrees recorded on June 25th.
Ten weather stations had their highest minimum temperatures and all-month minimum temperature records on August 13th.
In Moore Park, the temperature never dropped below 19.1 degrees over the 24-hour period, including in the middle of the night.
Other weather stations that recorded record minima on that day were: Sherkin Island, Co Cork; Mullingar, Co Westmeath; Newport, Co Mayo; Athenry; Johnstown Castle in Co Wexford; Gurteen in Co Tipperary; Mount Dillon, Co Roscommon; Finner in Co Donegal and Claremorris in Co Mayo.
The summer of 2025 was not dominated by long, extended periods of hot and sunny weather. Heatwaves were relatively short-lived, but the record was broken because of other factors.
Dry soil from the warmest spring on record allowed heat to linger for longer; a marine heatwave pushed warm air up more consistently over Ireland and heat domes to the south of Europe occasionally extended as far as Ireland.
Unlike last summer, 2026 had some protracted heatwaves along with warmer temperatures overall.
The month just passed was the ninth warmest August since records began in 1900, with an average temperature of 16.27 degrees. The highest temperature of the month was 31.2 recorded at Casement Aerodrome on the 12th.
Almost all the rain in August fell towards the end of the month in the south and east, which suffered prolonged drought. A partial drought at Oak Park that began on June 20th continued for 66 days until August 24th.
The long-term forecast for the beginning of September was a return to more unsettled conditions, with wind and rain predicted over the weekend, though temperatures will be up to 22 degrees in places on Sunday.
The forecast for next week is for the unsettled weather to continue, with it turning wet and windy at times. It will also become notably cooler from midweek on.
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