Donegal is windiest county on the warmest recorded May

Donegal had the warmest May ever recorded - as well as being the windiest place in the country last month. 

Met Éireann’s climate statement for May 2024 shows that Malin Head was one of 13  synoptic stations reporting the warmest month, although all 25 stations’ air temperatures across the country were above their Long Term Average (LTA). 

Malin Head recorded a mean temperature of 12.2 °C, which is 1.8 °C above its LTA. Phoenix Park in Dublin clocked the month's highest mean temperature at 13.6 °C and at Knock Airport in Mayo, average temperatures for the month were lowest at 11.8 °C, which is still 1.8 °C above its LTA.

According to Met Éireann, the average national temperature recorded was 13.08 °C. 

This is only the second time in 125 years that the May average temperature exceeded 13 °C. The previous warmest was May 2008 with an average monthly temperature of 13.03 °C.

Elsewhere in Donegal, Finner recorded 12.8 °C, which is 1.9 °C above its LTA. Night-time temperatures were particularly high during May, which helped to increase the overall mean temperatures.

As for wind, Donegal topped the charts at 10.4 knots (19.3 km/h) at Malin Head in comparison to the lowest recorded at 4.9 knots (9.1 km/h) at Ballyhaise, Co Cavan. Both the month’s highest gust and 10-minute mean wind speed was reported at Malin Head. 

The highest gust was 39 knots (72 km/h) while the month’s highest 10-minute mean wind speed was 32 knots (59 km/h). Neither of the Donegal Synoptic Stations, Finner and Malin did not record an extreme value in rainfall, temperature or sunshine for the month.