New 'wettest' records for Mayo

THE weather station at Knock airport has recorded its wettest year since the station opened in 1996.

Met Éireann's annual report for 2015 also shows that Newport recorded the highest annual rainfall with 2078.8 mm (129% of LTA), its wettest since the site opened in 1960. But the rain didn't all fall on Mayo and most other stations in the west, south and midlands also reported it was their wettest year in six to 13 years.

The number of annual wet days ranged from 144 at Dublin Airport to 236 at Newport.

The Met service's December report shows that there was double or triple the normal rainfall in nearly all parts last month.

Monthly sunshine totals for December ranged from 19.7 hours at Belmullet to 48.4 hours at Dublin Airport - its dullest December in 10 years. Overall in 2015, Knock airport had its dullest year since the station opened 19 years ago.

With three winter storms - Desmond, Eva and Frank – battering the country in December, the month’s highest gust was 73 knots (135 km/h), recorded at Belmullet on December 23 - its highest December gust since 2002.