An analysis of rainfall levels at Met Éireann’s automatic weather stations from June to August shows a clear demarcation emerging between the southeast corner of the country and the northwest.

Stations based southeast of the line running from Roche’s Point in Cork harbour, to Gurteen in Tipperary and up to Dunsany in Meath are running significantly below their long-term average (LTA) of rain.

Met Éireann’s LTA is the average for the climatological reference period 1991-2020.

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The lowest rainfall for the three-month period from June through to Monday last, 17 August, was 76mm which was recorded at Oak Park in Carlow while Roche’s Point recorded 93mm.

This is currently 40% and 42% below the respective LTA at each station. At 110mm, Moorepark in Cork has received 50% of its LTA rainfall while Johnstown Castle in Wexford and Dunsany recorded 53% and 54% of their respective LTA precipitation figures.

This is resulting in farmers having to start using winter fodder supplies in order to feed stock as soil moisture deficit levels persist in the southeast.

In contrast, rain has returned to much of the west and northwest with Belmullet and Newport stations in Mayo and Malin Head in Donegal receiving close to or over 90% of their annual rainfall for the summer.

July was an exceptionally dry month for much of the country and 11 of the 20 stations recorded rainfall in single digits with a low of 1.1m noted in Moorepark. For the same month, Newport had rainfall levels of 75mm.