OFFICIAL! Met Éireann confirms summer 2025 was the hottest in Ireland since records began

Summer 2025 was the warmest summer in Ireland since records first began back in 1900.

According to Met Éireann, this summer (June, July and August) had an average temperature of 16.19°C, which is 1.94°C warmer than Ireland's long-term average and slightly warmer than the previous warmest summer, in 1995, by just 0.08°C. 

Met Éireann Climatologist Paul Moore spoke on the new figures saying: "Provisional Met Éireann data shows that summer 2025 is the warmest on record since 1900, when this temperature dataset began". 

The climate expert broke down the rationale behind the summer's high temperatures saying: "it hasn't been particularly sunny during the summer but the dry soils from a warm and sunny spring, the heat domes over mainland Europe.

Periods of high pressure dominance and the high sea surface temperatures around Ireland, have kept temperatures over the last three months consistently above average especially at night-time". 

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Moore also said climate change has played a huge role in the rising temperatures commenting: "The added heat in the system and the continuous background warming due to climate change, can now transform an unexceptional season into a record-breaking one. 

"Ireland is experiencing the effects of climate change and our climate projections show that our climate is going to become warmer. 2025 has already seem the warmest spring on record and now summer 2025 is another example of the warming trend, making it the first year since 1933 with consecutive spring-summer records". 

The average temperature in Ireland has increased by 1.1 degrees since the records started in 1900 with minimum summer temperatures now rising faster than the maximums. 

Climate change has played a big role in the increased temperatures in recent times. Six of the top 10 warmest summers in Ireland have occurred since the turn of the century, this includes 2025, 2006, 2019, 2023, 2013 and 2022 from warmest to least warm. 

2025 also joins 1995 as the only summer which surpassed an average of over 16°C across Ireland. 

The persistent warmth over the summer months were driven by a combination of factors with climate change being an underlying reason for each. The factors include dry soils, heat domes to the south, marine heatwaves and warm nights. 

Dry soils allowed for heat to build and linger for longer due to less evaporative cooling, heat domes over central and western Europe pushed hot air masses over Ireland. Marine heatwaves meant that warm air masses moving up from the south during the summer could maintain more heat, this was prevalent in the south of Ireland during the summer months.

Warm nights were also a major factor in the increase of the average temperature over the summer as several long-standing stations had their highest number of warm nights on record.

Although 2025 had a lower number of hot days and less sunshine than competitors 1995 and 1976, the higher night temperatures were a critical factor in pushing up the overall mean summer temperature for 2025.  

2025 has now seen the warmest spring and summer on record but it remains to be seen if it will take the record for warmest year as autumn and winter temperatures can heavily influence the yearly average.