National temperature above average amid driest October since 2018 — Met Éireann

Weather patterns fluctuated between periods of high-pressure dominance and Atlantic low-pressure dominance last month.

The first week of October started mostly dry, with high pressure to the north. As the week progressed, a warm, moist tropical maritime air mass arrived from the south, bringing thundery rainfall to the Southwest.

The highest daily rainfall, 54.2mm, was recorded at Sherkin Island, Cork, on Saturday, October 5 — a record length of 52 years.

The number of rain days ranged from 16 at Casement Aerodrome in Dublin to 26 days at several stations. Oak Park in Carlow saw 10 wet days, while Kerry's Valentia Observatory, Knock Airport, and Newport in Mayo each recorded 21 days.

Valentia Observatory also recorded six very wet days, while Dunsany in Meath recorded none.

Met Éireann said the majority of stations, away from the Southwest, had "their driest October in six to eight years."

October also saw the first named storm of the season, Storm Ashley, which brought the windiest period of the month, with strong gales and coastal flooding due to high spring tides.

The highest gust recorded, 137km/h, was reported at Mace Head in Galway on Wednesday, October 20, during the storm.

Additionally, October 2024 was recorded as the 23rd-warmest October on record since 1900.

Met Éireann said the national average temperature was 11.65C, which is 0.86C above the most recent 1991-2020 long-term average (LTA) and 1.07C above the 1961-1990 LTA.

According to the national forecaster, the warmest October on record was in 1969, with an average of 12.97C, and the coldest was in 1981, with an average of 7.7C.