Northern Ireland logs warmest May since record began

Armagh buttercups

Northern Ireland experienced its warmest May on record, with an average temperature of 12.9°C.

This is 2.4°C above the usual average for May, breaking the previous record of 12.3°C set in 2008.

Remarkably, this heat occurred despite the month being duller than average, with only 77% of normal sunshine.

This milestone highlights a broader trend, with six of the 10 warmest Mays on record having occurred in this century.

The temperature records date back to 1893.

Spring 2024 (March to May) was also notably warm, ranking as the second warmest on record with an average temperature of 9.28°C, just below of the all-time high of 9.42°C from 1893.

Seven of the 10 warmest springs have occurred since 2000, pointing towards the ongoing trend of warmer seasons.

In terms of precipitation, May 2024 was much drier than usual, receiving only 63% of the normal rainfall.

However, overall, spring 2024 was wetter than average, with 119% of the typical rainfall.