Ireland’s national weather forecaster says that 2023 was officially the wettest year since records began.
Their report, published today, shows that on top of last year already being the hottest year in Ireland on record, there was also the most total rainfall.
Last year’s total gridded average rainfall nationwide was 1,510.9mm, narrowly surpassing the previous record figures of 2009 and 2015.
2023 also saw the wettest March and July on record, and Met Éireann noted a number of severe flooding events that took place nationwide due to events such as Storm Betty and Storm Babet.
Met Éireann say their analysis used data from their 25 primary weather observations combined with real-time observations.
A crucial part of the process included collecting data from hundreds of smaller manual Met Éireann weather stations, collecting their rainfall data and ensuring it is quality-controlled, a process that takes several months.
This detailed process allows for more accurate calculations, and a more complete picture of the nationwide rainfall levels.
You can read their report here: https://www.met.ie/2023-confirmed-as-irelands-wettest-year-on-record
