Editing Geography of Ireland (section)

==Climate==
{{main article|Climate of Ireland}}
[[File:Ireland island Köppen.png|thumb|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] in Ireland|alt=See caption]]
The [[climate of Ireland]] is mild, humid and changeable with abundant [[rainfall]] and a lack of [[temperature extremes]]. [[Ireland]]'s climate is defined as a [[temperate]] [[oceanic climate]], or ''Cfb'' on the [[Köppen climate classification]] system, a classification it shares with most of northwest Europe.<ref name="PeeFinMcM">{{cite journal |last1=Peel |first1=M. C. |last2=Finlayson |first2=B. L. |last3=McMahon |first3=T. A. |title=Updated world map of the Köppen–Geiger climate classification |journal=Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. |date=2007 |volume=11 |issue=5 |pages=1633{{ndash}}1644 |doi=10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 |doi-access=free |url=http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf |issn=1027-5606 |bibcode=2007HESS...11.1633P |access-date=4 February 2016 |archive-date=3 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203170339/http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The country receives generally warm summers and mild winters. It is considerably warmer than other areas at the same [[latitude]] on the other side of the Atlantic, such as in [[Newfoundland]], because<ref name="marine climatology">{{cite web |title=Climate of Ireland |url=http://archive.met.ie/climate-ireland/climate-of-ireland.asp |publisher=[[Met Éireann]] |access-date=14 May 2018 |archive-date=19 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619170251/http://archive.met.ie/climate-ireland/climate-of-ireland.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> it lies downwind of the Atlantic Ocean, and is also warmer than maritime climates near the same latitude, such as the [[Pacific Northwest]], as a result of heat released by the Atlantic overturning circulation that includes the [[North Atlantic Current]] and [[Gulf Stream]]. For comparison, [[Dublin]] is 9&nbsp;°C warmer than [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's]] in Newfoundland in winter.<ref>McCarthy, G. D., Gleeson, E. and Walsh, S. (2015) The influence of the Ocean on the Climate of Ireland. ''Weather''. '''70''', 8, 242–245, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wea.2543/abstract {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817141724/http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wea.2543/abstract |date=17 August 2016 }}</ref>

The influence of the North Atlantic Current also ensures the coastline of Ireland remains ice-free throughout the winter.<ref name="Edu1">{{cite web |title=Climate |url=http://www.educationinireland.com/en/Living-in-Ireland/Before-Arrival/Climate/ |publisher=Education in Ireland |access-date=11 May 2024 |archive-date=23 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240423151136/https://www.educationinireland.com/en/living-in-ireland/before-arrival/climate/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The climate in Ireland does not experience extreme weather, with tornadoes and similar weather features being rare.<ref name="MetE2">{{cite web |title=Exceptional weather events: Tornado |url=https://www.met.ie/climate-ireland/weather-events/Mar1995_Tornado.PDF |publisher=[[Met Éireann]] |access-date=14 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023215536/http://www.met.ie/climate-ireland/weather-events/Mar1995_Tornado.PDF |archive-date=23 October 2017 |date=1995 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="MetE3">{{cite web |title=Met Éireann Weather Warning System Explained |url=https://www.met.ie/nationalwarnings/warnings-explained.asp |publisher=[[Met Éireann]] |access-date=14 September 2017 |date=2017 |archive-date=15 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915023343/https://www.met.ie/nationalwarnings/warnings-explained.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> However, Ireland is prone to eastward moving cyclones which come in from the North Atlantic.<ref>Devoy, R.J.N. (2008). Coastal vulnerability and the implications of sea-level rise for Ireland. Journal of Coastal Research, 24(2) pp. 327–331</ref>

The prevailing wind comes from the southwest, breaking on the high mountains of the west coast.<ref name="marine climatology" /> Rainfall is therefore a particularly prominent part of western Irish life, with Valentia Island, off the west coast of County Kerry, getting over twice as much annual rainfall as Dublin on the east ({{convert|1557|mm|in|1|abbr=on|disp=or}} vs. {{convert|714|mm|in|1|abbr=on|disp=or}}).<ref name="MetE4">{{cite web |title=Rainfall in Ireland |url=http://www.met.ie/climate-ireland/rainfall.asp |publisher=[[Met Éireann]] |access-date=14 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929153142/http://www.met.ie/climate-ireland/rainfall.asp |archive-date=29 September 2017 |date=2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The overall mean temperature (measured 1990–2020) is {{convert|9.8|C|F|1}}. January and February are the coldest months of the year, with mean daily air temperatures of {{convert|5.3|to|5.5|C|F|1}} during these months. July and August are the warmest, with mean daily temperatures of {{convert|15|to|15.2|C|F|1}}, whilst mean daily maximums in July and August are {{convert|18.9|to|19.1|C|F|1}}, lower near the coast, higher inland.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Curley |first1=M. |last2=Coonan |first2=B. |last3=Ruth |first3=C.E. |last4=Ryan |first4=C. |year=2023 |title=Ireland's Climate Averages 1991–2020 (Climatological Note No. 22) |publisher=Met Éireann |place=Dublin}}</ref> The sunniest months are May and June, with an average of five to seven hours sunshine per day.<ref name="MetE5">{{cite web |title=Sunshine in Ireland |url=http://www.met.ie/climate/sunshine.asp |publisher=[[Met Éireann]] |access-date=23 January 2008 |archive-date=3 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080203141634/http://www.met.ie/climate/sunshine.asp |url-status=live }}</ref>

Though extreme weather events in Ireland are comparatively rare when compared with other countries in the European Continent, they do occur. Atlantic depressions, occurring mainly in the months of December, January and February, can occasionally bring winds of up to {{convert|160|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on|disp=or}} to Western coastal counties; while the summer months, and particularly around late July/early August, thunderstorms can develop.<ref name="Storm Katia">{{cite news |last1=Grant |first1=Alistair |last2=Bray |first2=Allison |title=Hurricane Alert – Storm winds coming as Katia moves in |url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/hurricane-alert-storm-winds-coming-as-katia-moves-in-26770180.html |access-date=4 February 2016 |work=[[Irish Independent]] |publisher=Independent Newspapers |date=10 September 2011 |archive-date=24 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160124053641/http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/hurricane-alert-storm-winds-coming-as-katia-moves-in-26770180.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Storm Darwin">{{cite news | url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/storm-darwin-hurricane-gusts-mass-destruction-widespread-blackouts-and-not-one-person-seriously-injured-258663.html | title=Evidence of storms | newspaper=Irish Examiner | access-date=4 February 2016 | date=2014-02-13 | archive-date=25 August 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240825183207/https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-20258663.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Thunderstorms">{{cite web |title=Exceptional weather events |url=http://www.met.ie/climate-ireland/weather-events/July1985_Thunderstorm.PDF |publisher=[[Met Éireann]] |access-date=4 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405060447/http://www.met.ie/climate-ireland/weather-events/July1985_Thunderstorm.PDF |archive-date=5 April 2016 |date=1985 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The tables below show mean 30-year climate averages for Ireland's two largest cities, taken from the weather stations at [[Dublin Airport]] and [[Belfast International Airport]] respectively. The state metrological service for the Republic of Ireland is [[Met Éireann]], while the [[Met Office]] monitors climate data for Northern Ireland.<ref name="Met1">{{cite web |title=UK regional climates |url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/regional-climates/ni |publisher=[[Met Office]] |access-date=30 September 2009 |archive-date=29 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210529144508/https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/regional-climates/index |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{Dublin weatherbox}}
{{Aldergrove weatherbox}}