2022 was the hottest year in Ireland on record, according to Met Eireann data.
Figures show that 2022 was also the twelfth consecutive year above normal temperatures, leading scientists to describe the year as “interesting” from a climate standpoint. The record first began in 1900, indicating that temperatures have been steadily increasing for over 120 years.
There was a series of significant heatwaves this summer, starting off in July. Temperatures soared nationwide, with a high of 33 degrees being recorded on July 18 at Phoenix Park - the highest temperature ever recorded in Dublin, and the second highest in Ireland overall.
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Reports revealed that Ireland experienced hotter temperatures than Hawaii during the sizzling snap. Night-time temperature highs of 20 degrees were also recorded, causing uncomfortable sleep for much of the nation.
However, the recent cold snap experienced this month helped bring average temperatures for the year back down. Met Eireann climatologist Keith Lambkin told RTE’s Morning Ireland that the sub zero temperatures likely felt even colder due to continuous above average temperatures witnessed over the past year.
He told RTE: “It was 18 consecutive months that we were above normal temperature, which is why December felt so cold. It was below average but we'd almost acclimatised ourselves to these warmer temperatures previously- it was quite a drop down to those colder December temperatures that we hadn't seen in quite some time.”
This year’s heatwave risked water shortages across the country. A European Commission report also found that vegetation conditions had worsened thanks to the spell of scorching weather, affecting summer crop yields. Another scorching year in recent times occurred in 2007, when a period of unusually warm weather broke out across Ireland and the UK.
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