19th March 2025
Coinciding with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) releasing the State of the Global Climate 2024, Met Éireann has issued Ireland’s Climate 2024 Provisional Summary Report, which confirms last year as the fourth warmest year on record for Ireland. Meanwhile, WMO’s report documents 2024 as the warmest year in global records, with key climate change indicators again reaching record levels.
Met Éireann Senior Climatologist Dr Pádraig Flattery comments: “Ireland’s Climate 2024 Provisional Summary Report contains key annual, seasonal and monthly findings on temperature, rainfall and wind, and puts the data in the context of the climatological averages for Ireland, providing insights on the changes and trends our climate is experiencing”.
1. Ireland – 2024 Temperatures
2024 has been provisionally recorded as the fourth warmest year on record for Ireland, with an average temperature of 10.72 °C. This is 1.17 °C above the 1961-1990 climatological standard normal period (Figure 1) and 0.55 °C above the 1991-2020 Long-Term Average (LTA). 2024 also saw the warmest May ever recorded.
Figure 1: Ireland’s temperature anomalies from 1900 to 2024 compared to the 1961-1990 climatological standard normal period. The black line is a LOESS trendline, which uses a 42-year window to smooth out patterns in the data over time. The graph shows a warming trend which is in line with global trends.
Dr Flattery continues: “2024 was Ireland’s fourth warmest year on record, and follows our warmest year ever recorded, which was 2023. Rising temperatures increase the chance of severe weather events and emphasise the need for climate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as robust adaptation to deal with the consequences of climate change”.
With seven of the ten warmest years in Ireland having occurred since 2005, 2024 continues the trend of increased temperatures. The highest temperature recorded this year was 26.6 °C at Phoenix Park on June 24th, 12.7 °C above the June LTA, while the lowest temperature was -7.3 °C at Athenry, Co. Galway on January 18th, 13.3 °C below its January LTA. Gridded average mean air temperatures and anomalies are shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Gridded average mean air temperature and anomalies (°C difference from 1991-2020 long-term average) for Ireland in 2024
2. Ireland – 2024 Rainfall
In terms of rainfall, 2024 is provisionally the 39th wettest or 46th driest year since 1941, making it a near-average year for rainfall overall. The east of Ireland experienced the driest conditions, while the south saw more rainfall than average (Figure 3 below). The highest daily rainfall total at a primary station occurred at Knock Airport, Co. Mayo, where 57.4 mm fell on November 23rd during Storm Bert, accounting in a single day for 40% of its November LTA.
Figure 3: Rainfall totals and anomalies (difference from and % of 1991-2020 long-term average) for Ireland in 2024.
3. Ireland – 2024 Wind and Storms
2024 saw seven named storms impact Ireland, including Isha, Jocelyn, Kathleen, Lilian, Ashley, Bert, and Darragh. Notably, Storm Darragh brought the strongest winds of the year on December 6th, with a gust of 76 knots (141 km/h) and a ten-minute mean wind speed of 60 knots (111 km/h), both recorded at Mace Head, Co Galway. Storm Isha in January 2024 also brought violent storm-force winds to the country.
For further details and to explore the full report, see Ireland’s Climate 2024 Provisional Summary Report.
Ireland’s Climate 2024 – Provisional Summary Report
4. WMO State of the Global Climate 2024: Another Record-Breaking Year
The World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) State of the Global Climate 2024 report confirms that last year was the warmest on record, globally, with a global mean temperature of 1.55 ± 0.13°C above pre-industrial levels. This marks the first full calendar year exceeding the 1.5°C threshold, although long-term warming remains slightly below this limit.
Figure 5: Annual global mean temperature anomalies relative to a pre-industrial (1850–1900) baseline shown from 1850 to 2024 Source: WMO, data are from the six datasets (each dataset in a different colour line)
Key Findings:
- Record-breaking greenhouse gas concentrations, with CO₂ levels reaching their highest in 800,000 years.
- Globally each of the past ten years were individually the ten warmest years on record, with 2024 surpassing them all.
- Unprecedented ocean heat, with eight consecutive years of record-high ocean temperatures.
- Accelerating sea-level rise, now occurring at twice the rate observed in the early satellite era.
- Arctic and Antarctic ice at historic lows, with Antarctic sea ice reaching its second-lowest extent ever recorded.
- Glacier loss at record levels, with the most significant three-year decline in history.
Figure 6: Global mean sea level change since 2023 (source WMO, data from CNES)
The Role of El Niño and Climate Change
The combination of long-term greenhouse gas emissions and a strong El Niño event drove 2024’s extreme temperatures. However, additional factors—including shifts in solar activity, volcanic eruptions, and reduced cooling aerosols—may have amplified the warming.
The Cost of Inaction
Extreme weather events in 2024 led to widespread displacement, economic losses, and worsening food crises. WMO emphasizes the urgent need to strengthen early warning systems, as only half of all countries currently have adequate climate preparedness.
“Every fraction of a degree matters,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. “Investment in climate services is crucial to protecting lives and economies.”
The WMO report serves as a critical reminder ahead of the inaugural World Glaciers Day (21st March), World Water Day (22nd March) and World Meteorological Day (23rd March).
Read the WMO State of the Global Climate 2024 report in full.