“Unprecedented” levels of rainfall were experienced in 2023, Met Éireann has confirmed.

Last year saw the wettest March and July, as well as the warmest June on record.

July was the wettest month of the year.

It is expected that 2023 will be the warmest year on record for Ireland, beating the previous warmest year of 2022, said head of climate services at Met Éireann Keith Lambkin.

“Ireland has seen a remarkable year, with rainfall and warming at unprecedented levels at times. These record-breaking extremes have knock-on consequences to much of society.

“Past weather events are no longer a reliable indicator of future weather events, but knowing this allows us to better plan and adapt to our changing climate,” he said.

For the first time, Ireland’s annual average temperature was greater than 11°C. The previous warmest year on record was 2022 at nearly 10.9°C.

Highs and lows

January 2023 observed the lowest temperature of the year with -7.2°C on Tuesday 17 January at Lullymore Nature Centre, Co Kildare.

The highest temperature of the year was recorded in September, with 29.1°C on Friday 8 September at Lullymore Nature Centre, Co Kildare.

It has been over a century since the coldest March (1919), April (1922), May (1923), July (1922), August (1912), September (1918) and November (1919).

Since 2000, on average one or two months of the year have recorded their top five warmest temperatures.