According to The Journal, temperatures in Ireland reached as high as 19.1 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, significantly above the average for November but not setting any new records.
Met Éireann data shows the mean November temperatures so far are around 11°C, about 3°C higher than normal. Meteorologist Aoife Kealy attributed this to the jet stream remaining positioned north of Ireland, allowing milder air from the south to move across the country.
While the warm weather is expected to continue into next week, temperatures are forecast to begin cooling down on Monday and Tuesday. Kealy noted that it is difficult to attribute individual weather events directly to climate change, but the overall trend of warmer conditions is linked to human-caused global warming.
This comes as the EU’s Copernicus climate monitor has stated that 2023 is “virtually certain” to be the hottest year on record, with warming exceeding 1.5°C. The COP29 climate conference is set to begin next week in Azerbaijan, as world leaders gather to address the ongoing climate crisis.