Today's weather for Cork, Ireland17th May 2008 11:30

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Weather Overview for Cork

Cork is Ireland’s second largest city, located on the River Lee on the south western Irish coast. Its name is derived from the Irish word ‘corcach’ meaning ‘marshy place,’ due to its proximity to the river.

Cork’s climate is not all that dissimilar from the rest of Ireland and the United Kingdom; it resembles a maritime climate characterised by mild and moist conditions and a narrow temperature range.

Cork lacks temperature extremes- the barometer rarely falls below freezing and seldom rises about 30 degrees. It does however, experience high relative humidity. Humidity ranges between 78% and 90% all year round, with October and November measuring the highest percentages.

The climate in Cork is affected by the North Atlantic Current which is the strong ocean current that brings the Gulf Stream up from Mexico through to the west coast of Ireland and the UK. The Gulf Stream is a strong ocean current which transports an amount of heat that is 100 times the worlds energy demand. It is these phenomena’s that keep the south west coast of Ireland a few degrees warmer than the east coast and the north.

January and February are the coldest months in Cork, each experiencing and average high of 8 degrees and an average low of 3 degrees. January also sees Cork with its greatest rainfall, just ahead of December which is the second wettest month. Cork is actually one of the driest place in Ireland with only 75 days a year that experience ‘heavy’ rainfall.

Spring sees Cork hold its annual Spring festivals, and March is a particularly busy month encompassing Gaelic Week and the unforgettable Saint Patrick’s Day. March sees an average temperature of 6 degrees, moving up to 8 degrees in April and 10 degrees in May.

June and July are the regions driest months, and have an average high of 17 and 18 degrees respectively.

Summers in south west Ireland are pleasant and, as mentioned previously, are kept fairly mild as the region is in the path of the south westerly winds coming off the Atlantic.

You can experience amazing clear days which are occasionally broken up by periods of light rain. Cork is one of the sunniest cities in Ireland, averaging 3.8 hours of clear sunlight everyday (hours of sunlight takes into account overcast conditions) and there are 69 days of ‘no recordable sunshine’ in Cork which is significantly less than other parts of the country.

Lastly, Cork is known to be a reasonably foggy city, experiencing thick fog mainly in the mornings and throughout winter. The city has, on average, 100 days of fog throughout the year. This fog usually appears in periods of high pressure.

While the temperatures are mild, the rain is consistent and the humidity is high it must be kept in mind that it is these exact conditions that keep Ireland green and produce the geography and landscape that it is famed for.

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