Met Éireann insists 1887 temperature record stands up

Mon, 25 Jul, 2022 - 12:34

Pádraig Hoare, ENVIRONMENTAL CORRESPONDENT

Met Éireann has insisted the all-time high Irish temperature record of 33.3C in 1887 stands, despite increasing doubts about its veracity from climate and geography experts.

Headlines were made last week when temperatures in Dublin's Phoenix Park reached 33C, the highest in 135 years since a reading of 33.3C was taken in Kilkenny Castle.

Ireland is highly unusual in that the hottest recorded temperature occurred in the 19th century, as opposed to other countries which have shattered their records in recent decades.

One of Ireland's leading climate change authorities, Professor Peter Thorne of Maynooth University, believes the 33C seen in Dublin's Phoenix Park is the true record holder.

The professor of physical geography (climate change), who was a contributing lead author on the recent UN-backed International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, assigned his Masters class of 2019 to re-evaluate and re-analyse data from 1887.

One group looked at the instrument in Kilkenny Castle, one group looked retroactively at the weather around the country at the time, while the last group looked at comparisons of other stations.

The results show that the 33.3C in Kilkenny Castle was a complete outlier, Prof. Thorne said, whereas Met Éireann's recording of 33C in Pheonix Park was done according to modern World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) principles.

"It’s physically implausible Kilkenny could have been so different to other stations. It’s such an extreme outlier to modern daily differences. The record is not robust. I’m not saying it could not have occurred, but there is grossly insufficient evidence to support it," he said.

Met Éireann response

However, Met Éireann said it stands by the 1887 record.

It said Ireland’s highest shaded air temperature of 33.3°C on Sunday, June 26, 1887, occurred during a short period of extreme temperatures and unusual weather focused over the Midlands and the south west of Ireland at the time.

The thermometer at Kilkenny Castle was housed to acceptable standards and was certified as accurate, therefore the observation is considered to have a high level of accuracy and reliability, it added.

A spokesperson said: "All national records, indeed all climate observations, are routinely reviewed by Met Éireann as more historic observations and new scientific research becomes available.

"A measurement of 33C was observed at our synoptic station in Phoenix Park on Monday, July 18. This observation is currently being quality controlled and validated. If accepted, it will make this the second highest certified temperature ever recorded in Ireland."

Temperature records are being shattered everywhere, so why is Ireland’s from the 1880s?