After a prolonged period of dry weather in Ireland earlier this year, Autumn has brought record rainfall due to rising sea temperatures.
Spring and Summer were drier than normal across the country, with drought conditions in the south and east. However, the dry period was followed by an Autumn which has been phenomenally wet in some places.
Met Eireann's head of forecasting, Evelyn Cusack, said the current weather was being driven by the "relentlessness" of the sea temperatures which are several degrees warmer than they should be for the time of year, leading to a long spell of southesterly winds over the country. "When the air passes over the sea it picks up moisture. Sea temperatures are higher all around Ireland. We can have winds from all directions, but the winds from the southwest have been unrelenting. The winds have been persistently coming from that direction." Ms Cusack said.
There have been dangerous heatwaves across Europe this year and the temperature reached 40 degrees in England for the first time.
here have been dangerous heatwaves across Europe this year and the temperature reached 40 degrees in England for the first time. She said Ireland was spared these extremes because it is surrounded by water which has a cooling effect. "We are very fortunate to be in the position we are in. We could eventually get more heatwaves from Europe, but it is hard to ever see 40 degrees in Ireland."
Met Eireann's seasonal forecast for Winter is for a slightly warmer than average season with near average rainfall for Ireland. However, the immediate forecast for the month suggests that a Scandinavian blocking high will bring high pressure over the country leading to colder and drier than average conditions for the month.
Ronan McGreevy, Irish Times