Summer 2024 - General Discussion

Camping with my son last night in wicklow. The weather gods were kind. Was a bit chilly but not too bad.

I empathise, I'm in the same boat here.... no pun intended.

I could have baled and wrapped it, but the quality will be only mediocre as hay now and poor as silage, so might as well hold out for a dry 5 days and go for the cheaper option.

Yeah and the big difference between Jan and July is the loss of 6 hours of light. There are so many opportunities on a June/July evening when it's dry and bright. You'd pine for one of those evenings in winter. One of the committee members in my local golf club said they were getting record tee bookings this summer from members and visitors. July 2023 was a disaster for them. The greens and tee boxes are being watered now even though the course was waterlogged in March/April.

Maybe in the east but it hasn't rained here all week and very little since July 1st. The 6mm at Mace Head says it all. Usually bears the brunt of Galway rainfall. It has been dry most days in Galway with 50-60% of average rainfall in May and June too. The data is the data and we sure know drizzle. Dunsany got 50% of average rainfall in June. The colder temps and clouds play tricks on the mind methinks.

Ya all I ask for is sun in Sligo who cares about temperature? But even sun has been scarce as constant cloud n light drizzle from time to time.

I think we will see sun on Sunday though as there is no N or W in wind direction that day. Still it could be 12 or 1pm before it comes out and showers will follow. But tomorrow also might be sunny for a short while between 2 and 5.

When I was at school I remember learning in Geography class about our climate and it was called a cool temperate oceanic climate with summer temperatures around 18 degrees Celsius max. Now this was a long time ago( since I was at school) but now as I’ve become very interested in the weather I’m wondering if this is just it , as in it’s our real climate but due to the fact that we go abroad on holiday more now and get real heat , we just can’t deal with the coolness of our summers anymore.
I may be well wide of the mark but I wonder if we have unrealistic expectations. Saying all that I totally dislike our weather and would trade it for sunny warm weather any day. Just thought I’d put it out there though.

Wanting it warmer in summer rather than winter is hardly 'Unrealistic expectations'

Anyhow. Dry this morning with thick cloud, of course.

Leitrim

Warm and sunny currently. Filing under summer day.

After a cloudy start the Sun has been shining for the last 30 mins. Shirt sleeve order. Shocked I am.

Spilling rain all morning in Portlaoise, so much for a dry, cloudy day.

Same in ours, and a very noticeable drop in pollinator’s this year.

The first two weeks of July have been poor even by Irish standards. Temps are running around 2º below average. But it's by no means record breaking.

June was fairly cool too. Especially in the West. With temps around 0.5º below normal nationally. Again it was by no means record breaking though (the coldest in around ten years meaning you didn't have to go back very far to find a June as bad).

Our expectations of summer in this country year in and year out are ridiculously high though. People were even complaining about the weather in May and it was the hottest on record here. Same last June. Hottest on record yet people still complained.

It rained from last August. A lot. The ground was cold and wet for a long long time. Seedlings need warmth. Growth for most plants is very slow.

Im of this planet for a long time now. I have zero expectations for a good Summer. Non. I garden and farm and 'hope' for decent weather. I've never known as bad a growing season for grass vegetables and flowers. That's my observation and most of my fellow neighbours in Leitrim.

Gonzo i think you’re seriously over egging how bad this summer has been . To say it’s been raining most days this summer is a bit of a stretch . It’s no where near as bad as last year in terms of rainfall . I’m between Dublin and Wexford the past month or two. Plenty of consecutive fully dry days , rainfall amounts have been pretty low in fact . We have had the odd stinker of a day thrown in of course but in the main days have been fairly dry , cool, a bit on the windy side , plenty of cloud about .When the sun does come out a lot of pleasant days for an hour or two.
Today in Gorey for example some rain was forecast , but dry all morning , pleasant sunshine albeit only 18 or so degrees, winds died off a bit too

Is this because the evenings are warmer due to more cloud cover- this could be bringing up the averages?