Warmer days but more rain dispels sunny outlook

Feeling a bit warmer and a good bit wetter? That will be our weather then, according to a new study of long-term weather patterns published by Met Éireann yesterday.

A new data set looking at Ireland’s weather from 1981 to 2010, released by Met Éireann yesterday, shows a 0.5ºC increase in average temperature compared with the period from 1961 to 1990, and a 5% increase in rainfall.

Met Éireann said the increase in temperatures was “a significant finding” and confirmed the effects of global warning. However, it urged caution over the rise in rainfall, claiming that, due to the natural variability of our weather, it was not as simple as saying that the country is getting wetter — although it can certainly feel that way.