Climate change fueled record May temperatures in Ireland, study finds

Ireland experienced record-breaking temperatures in May, a phenomenon directly attributable to human-induced climate change, according to a rapid weather attribution study. An intense high-pressure system combined with an unusually warm tropical air mass brought extreme heat between May 25 and May 27.

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The record-breaking temperatures experienced on 26 May would not have been possible without human-caused climate change.

New maximum air temperature records were set at 18 weather stations across the country. The national record for the highest daily temperature in May was surpassed by over 2 degrees Celsius. The previous record of 28.4°C, set in 1997, had stood for 29 years. On May 26, temperatures reached 30.6°C at Shannon Airport, and seven other high-quality climate stations recorded temperatures between 30.7°C and 30.9°C.

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The previous national May temperature record of 28.4°C was set in Ardfert, Co Kerry, in 1997 and had remained unbroken for 29 years.

Met Éireann, Ireland's national meteorological service, confirmed that these new records are undergoing rigorous investigation. Regardless of the final verified figures, the data indicates an increase of 2.1°C to 2.5°C in the May temperature record, a significant jump. Old records at Valentia, Dublin Airport, Shannon, Roches Point, Belmullet, and Cork Airport, some standing for over a century, were also broken.

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The increase in the monthly May temperature record was between 2.1°C and 2.5°C, which is a remarkable increase under any circumstances.

The study, conducted by researchers at Maynooth University in collaboration with Met Éireann and the World Weather Attribution team, emphasizes that such extreme heat events are a direct consequence of global warming. The researchers concluded that with the planet already 1.3°C warmer than pre-industrial levels due to the burning of fossil fuels, these record-breaking temperatures would have been impossible in a pre-industrial climate.

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None of this would have been possible in a pre-industrial climate, and that it could never have happened without human-induced climate change, which is caused by burning fossil fuels.