September was exceptionally dry

The warmest place in the Republic last month was Shannon Airport, where the temperature reached 25

The warmest place in the Republic last month was Shannon Airport, where the temperature reached 25.3 degrees on September 16th, according to the monthly statistics from Met Éireann.

Dublin's highest September temperature since 1941 of 24.6 degrees was recorded at Dublin Airport the following day.

It was an extremely mild month, with air temperatures about one degree higher than normal. In the middle of the month, temperatures in most places reached the mid-20s.

September was also an extremely dry month, with only around half the normal September rainfall recorded at several locations.

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However, the first ground frost of the season was recorded at some of Met Éireann's inland stations as early as September 7th. There were a number of other very cool nights, with temperatures dropping to minus 3 degrees in Kilkenny on the 24th.

A rainfall gauge at Inver, Co Mayo, recorded a daily fall of 89mm on the 19th of the month, after a heavy storm. A related landslide nearby caused considerable damage to both property and livestock.

There were between six and 12 wet days in most parts of the country. Met Éireann defines a wet day as one with 1mm or more of rainfall. Up to 20 wet days were recorded in the north and north-west.

The sunny south-east lived up to its name, with Rosslare basking in 149 hours of sunshine, the highest monthly total in the Republic. Almost 12 hours of sunshine were recorded at Rosslare on September 1st, the highest daily total of the month.

Malin Head had its dullest September since 1990, with just 92 hours of sunshine, the lowest in the country. Kilkenny was the driest county in Ireland, recording 36mm of rainfall.

Conor Lally

Conor Lally

Conor Lally is Security and Crime Editor of The Irish Times