Ireland is on course for recording its warmest ever year, according to provisional figures released by Met Éireann.
An average temperature of just over 10.8 degrees Celsius means 2022 will be the warmest year since Irish records began in 1900, ahead of previous warmest years — 2007 and 1945.
This year is the twelfth consecutive year that has seen an above normal average temperature, with 21 of the 22 years this century all being above normal.
Met Éireann recorded record-breaking temperatures in July and August.
On July 18th, a reading of 33 degrees Celsius in Dublin's Phoenix Park broke the record for all-time highest maximum temperature for the month of July.
And in August, a reading of 32.1 degrees Celsius in Durrow, Co Laois, broke records for the month of August.
The lowest recording air temperature was earlier this month. On December 16th, a reading of -8.8 degrees Celsius was recorded at Mount Dillon, Co Roscommon.
In terms of rainfall, Met Éireann provisionally said that 2022 was drier than average.
There was a lot of "variability" in rainfall across the months, the forecaster said, with 21 of the 22 years this century all being above normal.
Valentia Observatory, in Co Kerry, had its wettest autumn on record with 786.5 mm of rainfall, 167 per cent of its normal rate.
The wettest day of the year was September 3rd, when over 90 per cent of Met Éireann's weather stations recording more than 4.6mm of rainfall.
The strongest wind gust was recorded during Storm Franklin in Galway: a gust of 139km/h at Mace Head.
Commenting on Friday, head of Met Éireann’s Climate Services Division Keith Lambkin put the new figures in the wider context of the climate crisis.
"Climate change has changed the odds of getting more frequent, more extreme heat related events.
"Thanks to over a century of dedicated weather observations here in Ireland, we know that 2022 brought us record-breaking extremes as well as what is likely to be the warmest year on Irish record.
"It is essential that we must continue to adapt to ensure our national infrastructures and planning are best suited to both current and future warming," Mr Lambkin said.
