REVEALED: Hottest May on record had 'poor' levels of sunshine

The month of May was revealed as being the warmest month on record in Ireland and indeed, in parts of the EU.

While Met Éireann reported it as being 'calm, dull and thundery at times', May proved to be the warmest in history with an average temperature of 13.08°C.

Warmest May on record in Ireland! The Met Éireann monthly data is available now via https://t.co/p9gAr5Xu47

The higher average temperatures at night played a big part and a lot of cloud. Remember they are referring to the mean temperature. pic.twitter.com/Ryc0Rqq4vc

— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) June 5, 2024

The previous warmest May was in 2008, with an average monthly temperature of 13.03°C. 

“Last month was the twelfth [hottest] month in a row, globally - which was a record,” Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan said, which he described as 'truly frightening'.

“The concern scientists have is that by going over that limit, you risk some tipping points where you start to get runaway climate change,” the Green Party Leader said.

While the Irish Government aims to halve carbon emissions by the end of the decade, Minister Ryan reiterated that this is the only solution that “actually stops the problem”.  

“May 2024 was very mild but also quite dull overall,” the Met Éireann report reads.

“The highest number of daily sunshine hours recorded this month was 14.9 hours.

“Some places got a lot of rain in short intense bursts. The month finished showery and there were no days with gales, strong gales or storms reported.”

The EU’s Copernicus Programme concluded May 2024 was the warmest in recorded history and Met Éireann issued an in-depth report on the findings.