The decade 2006 to 2015 was Ireland’s wettest on record, with ten-year average rainfall of almost 1,990mm/yr, compared with a long term 300-year average of 1,080mm/yr. Research conducted by Maynooth University shows that 1740 to 1749 was the driest decade on record, with an average of 940mm/yr. The data also shows that winters are getting wetter and summers drier.
The decade 2006 to 2015 was Ireland’s wettest on record, with ten-year average rainfall of almost 1,990mm/yr, compared with a long term 300-year average of 1,080mm/yr. Research conducted by Maynooth University shows that 1740 to 1749 was the driest decade on record, with an average of 940mm/yr.
The data also shows that winters are getting wetter and summers drier.
“The most recent decade was our wettest on record, and when we look at the long-term context, we see a continuous rise in annual and winter rainfall,” Dr Conor Murphy said. “This is consistent with expectations of human driven climate change.”
The data provides insight into weather extremes over the last three centuries and how global events influenced them.
“The driest winter in our record is 1783-4, and this coincides with the eruption of the Laki volcano in Iceland, which emitted millions of tonnes of sulphur dioxide into the air, creating what was called the ‘Laki haze’. This gave much of Europe an extremely hot summer, followed by a dry and severe winter.”
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