Northern Ireland Climate
City Coverage: Belfast, Derry, Lisburn, Newry, Bangor, and Armagh
This month in numbers
Northern Ireland experienced its 9th warmest May on record in 2026, with a mean temperature of 11.7°C, a significant 2.1°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. The three-month period from March to May 2026 also ranked as the 7th warmest on record, with an average temperature of 9.03°C, 1.8°C above the baseline. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperature, with a +1.1°C anomaly, while the February–April 2026 period was also the 2nd warmest on record for global land temperature, with a +1.2°C anomaly.
What changed
The consistently above-average temperatures seen in Northern Ireland over the past three months align with a broader warming trend across the UK and globally. May 2026 was the UK's joint third warmest May on record for mean temperature, with Northern Ireland also experiencing notably above-average temperatures. The region recorded 7 fewer frost days than average for the March-May period, ranking as the 13th fewest on record. This indicates a significant reduction in freezing mornings compared to historical norms.
What’s driving change?
The persistent warmth in Northern Ireland is influenced by broader climate patterns. The can steer winter storms and influence temperatures, though its specific impact on the recent warmth would require further analysis. Additionally, the global context of warming land temperatures, with April 2026 being the 2nd warmest on record globally, plays a role. An El Niño is likely to emerge soon, with an 82% chance in May-July 2026, and is expected to continue through the Northern Hemisphere winter 2026-27. While El Niño typically brings cooler late winters to Northern Europe, very strong El Niños have historically resulted in warmer winters.
Looking ahead
El Niño conditions are expected to persist through the coming winter, which could mean a season of contrasts for Europe, shifting between cold, stormy episodes and calmer, milder phases depending on how the jet stream evolves.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Northern Ireland
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Northern Ireland changing?
Northern Ireland is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Northern Ireland come from?
Climate data for Northern Ireland comes from the UK Met Office HadUK-Grid (temperature, rainfall, sunshine, air frost), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Northern Ireland climate data cover?
The Northern Ireland climate profile covers Belfast, Derry, Lisburn, Newry and surrounding areas. Northern Ireland climate data from Belfast to the north-west
How often is the Northern Ireland climate update refreshed?
The Northern Ireland climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.