DUBLIN IS EXPERIENCING the wettest month it’s had for four years and is remarkably the wettest part of the country this November. 

Data from Met Éireann has shown that each of the three monitoring stations in Dublin -  Casement Aerodrome, Dublin Airport and Phoenix Park – has recorded more rainfall so far this month than in any month over the previous four years. 

What’s more, the average rain across the three stations is greater than the rainfall at any of the 22 other stations around the county, despite Dublin usually being the driest. 

Up to yesterday, total rainfall at the Dublin stations was 134 mm in Casement Aerodrome, 164.8 mm in Dublin Airport and 147.6 mm in Phoenix Park, an average of 148.8 mm.

That average is greater than any of other stations in the country, with Casement Aerodrome by itself only coming in behind Dunsany in Meath (147.9 mm), Valentia in Kerry (143.5 mm) and Gurteen in Sligo (144.7 mm).

What makes the rain in Dublin especially noteworthy this month is how out of kilter it is with average rainfalls for November over the three years previous. 

Rainfall values for Dublin Airport

The average for Dublin is usually 76.4 mm across the three stations so this month’s total is almost double the average with five days of the month still remaining.

That average of 76.4 mm would usually give Dublin the lowest rainfall of any of the meteorological stations across the country in November but this month the county has recorded the highest.  

Even more noteworthy is that this month’s 148.8 mm is greater than the average rainfall at any of the other stations for November over the past three years, apart from Valentia in Kerry which usually has 169.3 mm of rain in November. 

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So far this month, Valentia has recorded 143.5 mm of rain. This station also recorded the wettest month anywhere over the past three years when 293.8 mm fell in January 2016.

In terms of what’s to come, Vincent Hogan of Met Éireann said that this month has been among the wettest all year but added that a period of drier weather is to be expected heading into next week. 

“Once today’s episode is out of the way we’re looking at dry weather. There’s another event, a minor event, on Saturday whereby it will bring some rain again to the south but after today’s event and Saturday’s event, there’s indications of maybe a decent dry spell now, the first in a long time, for the weekend and next week,” he said.