Met Éireann Warns Irish Summers Will Be Warmer, Wetter Amid Record May Temperatures

Met Éireann senior climatologist Pádraig Flattery stated that recent high temperatures, which broke May records twice this week, indicate future Irish summers will be warmer and wetter. Temperatures exceeded 30 degrees in May for the first time ever in Ireland, amplified by climate change. While the average and minimum temperatures are rising, maximum temperatures are being broken more frequently.

Flattery noted that Ireland is now a much warmer and wetter country, but the exact timing and location of these changes are unpredictable. He linked the abnormally wet winter and severe flooding from Storm Chandra in January to a warmer climate, stating the impact would have been less in a one-degree cooler world.

Despite these warnings, Flattery mentioned a positive shift: climatologists no longer use the «worst-case scenario» for 2100 climate predictions, known as RCP8.5. This is due to renewable energy becoming the cheapest power source, significantly impacting greenhouse gas emissions. While not on track for the best-case scenario, Ireland avoids the worst position.

Observations Meteorologist Aoife Kealy highlighted that last summer was one of the hottest on record, with sustained high overnight temperatures preventing body recovery. Conor Quinlan, EPA programme manager, described the current record-breaking temperatures as «highly unusual» and «shocking» in magnitude, exceeding expected breaks by 0.2 degrees. He warned that Ireland is off track for emissions reduction targets, with the last four years being the warmest on record, indicating more extreme weather ahead.