Northern Ireland Climate
City Coverage: Belfast, Derry, Lisburn, Newry, Bangor, and Armagh
This month in numbers
Northern Ireland experienced a significantly warmer April, with the mean temperature of 8.6°C ranking as the 15th warmest April in 127 years of records, an anomaly of +1.6°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. Sunshine hours were also notable, with 178 hours recorded, making it the 16th sunniest April in 117 years, 33 hours above average. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
The period of February to April 2026 saw Northern Ireland record its 12th warmest mean temperature in 127 years, at 6.97°C, which is +1.7°C above the long-term average. This warmer trend is consistent with the broader picture, as global land temperatures for the same three-month period ranked as the 2nd warmest on record, with an anomaly of +1.2°C. Frost days were notably fewer, with 11 days recorded between February and April, ranking as the 11th fewest in 96 years, indicating 13 fewer frost days than average.
What’s driving change?
The warmer conditions experienced in Northern Ireland over the past few months can be attributed to several factors. A persistent Atlantic weather pattern and a strong jet stream have repeatedly steered low-pressure systems towards the UK, contributing to milder temperatures and increased rainfall in early 2026. This is further influenced by the current Neutral ENSO state, which, while not having a strong direct teleconnection for Northern Europe, can contribute to more variable weather patterns. Northern Ireland also experienced significant rainfall and flooding events in February 2026, including impacts from Storm Chandra, which brought strong winds and heavy rain, leading to saturated ground and increased flood risk. An Arctic airmass also swept across the UK and Ireland in mid-February, bringing snow, ice, and low temperatures, though this was a temporary cold snap within the broader warmer trend.
Looking ahead
The long-range forecast for the coming weeks suggests that more settled weather patterns are likely to dominate towards the end of May, with temperatures recovering to near average and potentially becoming warm at times.
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.