IRELAND had its warmest year on record last year with a Cork weather station recording its warmest year in almost two decades, according to Met Éireann’s Annual Climate Statement for 2022.

All mean air temperatures across the country were above their annual long term average (LTA) in 2022 in what was described by Keith Lambkin, head of Met Éireann’s Climate Services Division as a year of “record-breaking extremes”.

Mean temperatures for the year ranged from 9.5°C at Knock Airport in Mayo, the station’s warmest since 2007, to 11.7°C at Sherkin Island, which marked that station’s warmest year since 2004.

Eleven stations broke their August maximum temperature record, including Cork Airport, recording 28.3°C.

Meanwhile, the Moore Park station near Fermoy broke its all-time maximum temperature record in August at 30.6°C.

Overall, 2022’s average shaded air temperature in Ireland is provisionally 10.83°C which is 1.28°C above the 1961-1990 LTA.

This makes 2022 the warmest year on record, 0.06°C warmer than 2007 the previous warmest year.

Most annual rainfall totals across the country were below their 1981-2010 LTA in 2022.

The highest daily rainfall total was 54.9 mm at Cork Airport on Sunday, October 16 - its highest daily fall since 2005.

However, overall it was the driest year since 2011 at both Cork Airport and Roches Point.

“The latest Irish climate change projections indicate further warming in the future, drier summers on average and an increased chance of heatwaves and periods of drought,” the national weather forecaster said.

“While climate change projections also indicate a trend toward warmer winters, cold periods like those experienced this December cannot be ruled out in any particular year.”