Climate - Limerick (Ireland)

The climate of Limerick (Luimneach) is oceanic, with quite mild, rainy winters and mild, relatively rainy summers.
The city is located about 60 km (37 mi) away from the west coast of Ireland, in the province of Munster.
At the airport (which is located 20 kilometers or 12 miles west of the city, therefore closer to the sea, and is also located in an area in which the River Shannon widens where it receives the waters of the River Fergus), the average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 6 °C (43 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 16.4 °C (62 °F). Here are the average temperatures.

Precipitation amounts to 980 millimeters (38.6 inches) per year: therefore, the rains are not very abundant, but they are frequent. It ranges from 60 mm (2.4 in) in the driest month (April) to 105 mm (4.1 in) in the wettest ones (October, December). Here is the average precipitation.

Winter, from December to February, is quite mild, but wind and humidity can increase the sensation of cold. The sky is often cloudy, and rainfall is frequent. Sometimes, intense Atlantic depressions can cause wind storms.
Snowfalls are rare and not abundant. Usually, cold spells are not intense and do not last long. The temperature rarely drops below -5 °C (23 °F), however, it can occasionally drop to lower values, for example, it dropped to -9.5 °C (15 °F) in January 1945, -8.5 °C (16.5 °F) in February 1956, -11 °C (12 °F) in January 1963, -7 °C (19.5 °F) in January 1979, -8 °C (17.5 °F) in January 1982, -6.5 °C (20.5 °F) in January 1985 and in January 1987, -11 °C (12 °F) in January 2010, and -11.5 °C (11.5 °F) in December 2010 (record).

In spring, from March to May, the temperature slowly rises, and Atlantic fronts become a bit less frequent. In May, it is often still quite cold, especially in the first half of the month.

Summer, from June to August, is cool, with quite frequent rains, in a context of variable weather.
Hot days are rare: the temperature may not reach 25 °C (77 °F) for an entire month. However, it can sometimes reach higher values, for example, it reached 31 °C (88 °F) in June 1976, 30.5 °C (87 °F) in July 1983, 30 °C (86 °F) in July 1989, in June 1995, in August 1995 and in July 2006, and 32 °C (89.5 °F) in June 2018 (record). The latter value represents one of the highest temperatures ever recorded in Ireland.

Autumn, from September to November, is gray, cloudy and rainy, and with each passing week, it gets progressively colder. In November, the wind is often moderate or strong.



On average, there are around 1,300 sunshine hours per year. So, the sun doesn't shine often. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

Best Time

The best time to visit Limerick is the summer, from June to August, since it is the mildest of the year. The temperatures are generally good for outdoors activities, although it's better to bring an umbrella, and a sweatshirt or sweater for the evening or for cool days.