July provisionally one of the wettest on record for Northern Ireland

It is probably no surprise that July is provisionally one of the wettest on record with 185.4mm of rain, clipping the 1936 record of 185.2mm.

Less than average sunshine was recorded as well, with July being cooler than average by 0.7C. This is in sharp contrast to the warmth through May and through June. 24.5C was recorded in Castlederg in Co Tyrone in May and a high of 28.6C was recorded in June. 

Why has there been such a contrast in weather?

The jet stream was positioned to the north of Northern Ireland through much of May and June.

This meant that there was a warm push of air day-on-day.

Weather systems tend to travel along the jet stream and because Northern Ireland was not in proximity to the jet we avoided a lot of the rain bear systems. 

The jet stream was positioned to the south in July, thus Northern Ireland was in cool air for much of the month as well as in the path of many active weather fronts. 

What’s the forecast for August? 

There are now signs that the weather will settle for the second half of August. This doesn’t mean there will be no rain but it looks like there will be a few dry days at a time with temperature rising into the low 20’s. 

Is the weather due to climate change?

The science of climate change has evolved to a point where there is now no question as to whether climate change is happening. 

During July heatwaves and wild fires raged across Europe. It is a fact that they are statistically more likely due to climate change. 

In contrast, there has been extreme rainfall across Northern Ireland. Climate change is about an increase in extreme weather events whether they are, heat, rain, or storms. 

A warmer climate can hold more moisture so going forward rainfall patterns will continue to change and we will need to continue to adapt.

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