New records set at Mayo weather stations during short May heat wave
New record high temperatures for the month of May were established at three Mayo weather stations on May 26 and 27 last with a record-equalling temperature recorded at a fourth station.
A reading of 28.7 °C was registered at Belmullet on May 27, exceeding the previous of 26.6°C set on May 31, 1997.
The statistic also broke the previous national record for May of 28.4°C.
Claremorris clocked a reading of 26.6°C on May 26, surpassing the previous record of 26.3 °C which stood for 21 years.
The highest reading at Newport was 27.2°C on May 27. The previous record (26.8°C ) was set on May 25, 2012.
A high of 25.1°C was registered at Knock Airport on May 26, equalling the previous record May figure set on May 25, 2012.
Stations that provisional broke the May record will now undergo rigorous investigation to determine the new Irish air temperature record for May.
Last month saw the national May maximum temperature record exceeded by more than 2c, according to the latest climate statement issued by Met Éireann.
An intense area of high pressure combined with an unseasonably hot tropical airmass brought exceptionally high temperatures between Monday and Wednesday, May 25 and 27.
The previous May national record high temperature of 28.4 °C set in Ardfert, Co Kerry in 1997, was surpassed at a series of locations on Monday, May 25, before a greater number of stations reached temperatures in excess of 30.6 °C on Tuesday, May 26.
The highest readings were record at:
Abbeyfeale, Co Limerick – 30.9 °C
Clonmel, Co. Tipperary with 30.9 °C
Castleisland, Co, Kerry with 30.8 °C
Durrow, Co. Laois with 30.8 °C
Kilkenny (Greenshill), Co. Kilkenny with 30.8 °C
Killarney (Muckross House), Co. Kerry with 30.7 °C
Fethard (Parsonshill), Co Tipperary with 30.7 °C
Key monthly figures
The national mean May temperature was 12.54 °C, making it the 7th warmest May since 1900.
12.54 °C is 1.99 °C above the 1961-1990 LTA and 1.21 °C above the 1991-2020 LTA.
Eight of the ten warmest Mays have occurred since 2001, while none of the ten coolest Mays occurred recently.
May 2026 was drier than normal with 79 % of the 1991-2020 LTA (62.7 mm) and is ranked 31st driest May since 1941.
The highest daily rainfall total was 21.1 mm at Mount Dillon, Co. Roscommon on Tuesday, May 19.