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Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Cork Ireland

In Cork, the summers are comfortable and partly cloudy; the winters are long, very cold, wet, and mostly cloudy; and it is windy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 39°F to 66°F and is rarely below 32°F or above 73°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Cork for warm-weather activities is from late June to late August.

Climate in Cork

coldcoolcomfortablecoolcoldJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNowNow51%51%31%31%overcastclearprecipitation: 3.9 inprecipitation: 3.9 in2.1 in2.1 inmuggy: 0%muggy: 0%0%0%drydrytourism score: 6.1tourism score: 6.10.20.2
Cork weather by month. Click on each chart for more information.

The warm season lasts for 3.0 months, from June 12 to September 11, with an average daily high temperature above 63°F. The hottest month of the year in Cork is July, with an average high of 66°F and low of 54°F.

The cool season lasts for 4.3 months, from November 15 to March 24, with an average daily high temperature below 51°F. The coldest month of the year in Cork is January, with an average low of 39°F and high of 47°F.

Average High and Low Temperature in Cork

Average High and Low Temperature in CorkwarmcoolcoolJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F10°F10°F20°F20°F30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°F90°F90°F100°F100°FFeb 1848°FFeb 1848°FJul 2666°FJul 2666°F39°F39°F55°F55°FJun 1263°FJun 1263°FSep 1163°FSep 1163°FNov 1551°FNov 1551°FMar 2451°FMar 2451°F51°F51°F52°F52°F43°F43°F41°F41°FNowNow
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.
AverageJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
High 47°F48°F50°F54°F59°F63°F66°F66°F62°F56°F51°F48°F
Temp. 43°F43°F45°F48°F52°F57°F60°F60°F57°F52°F47°F44°F
Low 39°F39°F40°F42°F46°F51°F54°F54°F51°F47°F43°F40°F

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature in Cork

Average Hourly Temperature in CorkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMNowNowvery coldvery coldvery coldcoldcoldcoolvery coldcomfortable
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Sooke, Canada (4,537 miles away) is the far-away foreign place with temperatures most similar to Cork (view comparison).

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In Cork, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Cork begins around April 2 and lasts for 6.3 months, ending around October 10.

The clearest month of the year in Cork is July, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 51% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 10 and lasts for 5.7 months, ending around April 2.

The cloudiest month of the year in Cork is December, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 68% of the time.

Cloud Cover Categories in Cork

Cloud Cover Categories in CorkclearercloudiercloudierJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%Jul 1651%Jul 1651%Dec 2431%Dec 2431%Apr 241%Apr 241%Oct 1041%Oct 1041%NowNowclearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercast
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.
FractionJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Cloudier 67%65%63%56%53%52%49%50%53%60%64%68%
Clearer 33%35%37%44%47%48%51%50%47%40%36%32%

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Cork varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 4.4 months, from October 7 to February 18, with a greater than 37% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Cork is January, with an average of 13.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 7.7 months, from February 18 to October 7. The month with the fewest wet days in Cork is July, with an average of 8.9 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Cork is January, with an average of 13.4 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 46% on January 6.

Daily Chance of Precipitation in Cork

Daily Chance of Precipitation in CorkwetwetdryJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Jan 646%Jan 646%Apr 2127%Apr 2127%Oct 737%Oct 737%Feb 1837%Feb 1837%NowNowrain
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).
Days ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rain 13.4d10.5d10.1d8.7d9.1d8.6d8.9d9.7d9.4d12.3d12.1d12.7d
Mixed 0.1d0.1d0.1d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d
Any 13.5d10.5d10.1d8.7d9.1d8.6d8.9d9.7d9.4d12.3d12.1d12.7d

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Cork experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Cork. The month with the most rain in Cork is December, with an average rainfall of 3.6 inches.

The month with the least rain in Cork is April, with an average rainfall of 2.1 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall in Cork

Average Monthly Rainfall in CorkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in1 in1 in2 in2 in3 in3 in4 in4 in5 in5 in6 in6 in7 in7 inDec 303.9 inDec 303.9 inApr 282.1 inApr 282.1 inOct 273.8 inOct 273.8 inJun 72.3 inJun 72.3 inNowNow
The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rainfall 3.6″2.9″2.4″2.1″2.2″2.3″2.2″2.6″2.7″3.6″3.6″3.6″

The length of the day in Cork varies extremely over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 7 hours, 46 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 16 hours, 43 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in Cork

The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.
Hours ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight 8.4h10.0h11.9h14.0h15.7h16.6h16.1h14.6h12.6h10.6h8.8h7.9h

The earliest sunrise is at 5:13 AM on June 17, and the latest sunrise is 3 hours, 28 minutes later at 8:41 AM on December 30. The earliest sunset is at 4:22 PM on December 12, and the latest sunset is 5 hours, 35 minutes later at 9:57 PM on June 24.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Cork during 2024, starting in the spring on March 31, lasting 6.9 months, and ending in the fall on October 27.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in Cork

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in CorkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMJun 175:13 AMJun 175:13 AM9:57 PMJun 249:57 PMJun 24Dec 124:22 PMDec 124:22 PM8:41 AMDec 308:41 AMDec 30Mar 31DSTMar 31DSTDSTOct 27DSTOct 27daynightnightnightnightSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunsetNowNow
The solar day over the course of the year 2024. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray. The transitions to and from daylight saving time are indicated by the 'DST' labels.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in Cork

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in CorkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AM0000101010202030304040500001010101020203030404050601562NowNow
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of the year 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in Cork

The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

The perceived humidity level in Cork, as measured by the percentage of time in which the humidity comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable, does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining a virtually constant 0% throughout.

Humidity Comfort Levels in Cork

Humidity Comfort Levels in CorkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Jan 150%Jan 150%Aug 70%Aug 70%NowNowcomfortablecomfortabledrydryhumidhumid
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Muggy days 0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.1d0.1d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Cork experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 5.5 months, from October 12 to March 26, with average wind speeds of more than 13.7 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Cork is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 15.9 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 6.5 months, from March 26 to October 12. The calmest month of the year in Cork is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 11.4 miles per hour.

Average Wind Speed in Cork

Average Wind Speed in CorkwindywindyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 mph0 mph5 mph5 mph10 mph10 mph15 mph15 mph20 mph20 mph25 mph25 mphDec 3116.2 mphDec 3116.2 mphJul 2511.2 mphJul 2511.2 mphOct 1213.7 mphOct 1213.7 mphMar 2613.7 mphMar 2613.7 mphNowNow
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Wind Speed (mph) 15.915.214.312.812.211.511.411.612.513.814.615.5

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Cork is from the west throughout the year.

Wind Direction in Cork

Wind Direction in CorkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%NowNowwestsouthnortheast
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

Cork is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 3.0 months, from June 27 to September 26, with an average temperature above 59°F. The month of the year in Cork with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 61°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 4.4 months, from December 15 to April 27, with an average temperature below 51°F. The month of the year in Cork with the coolest water is March, with an average temperature of 48°F.

Average Water Temperature in Cork

The daily average water temperature (purple line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
WaterJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Temperature 49°F48°F48°F50°F53°F57°F60°F61°F60°F57°F53°F51°F

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Cork throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Cork for general outdoor tourist activities is from late June to late August, with a peak score in the last week of July.

Tourism Score in Cork

Tourism Score in Corkbest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810106.16.10.20.2NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationtourism score
The tourism score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Cork for hot-weather activities is from mid July to early August, with a peak score in the last week of July.

Beach/Pool Score in Cork

Beach/Pool Score in CorkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810101.11.10.00.0NowNowtemperaturetemperaturecloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitation
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Cork typically lasts for 9.2 months (283 days), from around March 12 to around December 20, rarely starting before January 21 or after April 20, and rarely ending before November 15 or after January 14.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in Cork

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in Corkgrowing seasonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%50%Mar 1250%Mar 1250%Dec 2050%Dec 2090%Apr 2090%Apr 2090%Nov 1590%Nov 1510%Jan 2110%Jan 21Aug 3100%Aug 3100%NowNowvery coldcoldcoolcomfortable
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Cork should appear around May 9, only rarely appearing before April 26 or after May 25.

Growing Degree Days in Cork

Growing Degree Days in CorkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F200°F200°F400°F400°F600°F600°F800°F800°F1,000°F1,000°F1,200°F1,200°F1,400°F1,400°FMay 990°FMay 990°FAug 21900°FAug 21900°FDec 311,348°FDec 311,348°F
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of the year, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.3 months, from May 3 to August 13, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.1 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Cork is June, with an average of 6.2 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.9 months, from October 23 to February 20, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 1.7 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Cork is December, with an average of 0.6 kWh.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in Cork

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in CorkbrightdarkdarkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWh8 kWh8 kWh9 kWh9 kWhJun 116.2 kWhJun 116.2 kWhDec 240.6 kWhDec 240.6 kWhMay 35.1 kWhMay 35.1 kWhAug 135.1 kWhAug 135.1 kWhOct 231.7 kWhOct 231.7 kWhFeb 201.7 kWhFeb 201.7 kWhNowNow
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Solar Energy (kWh) 0.81.52.84.35.66.25.95.03.52.01.00.6

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Cork are 51.898 deg latitude, -8.471 deg longitude, and 33 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Cork contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 472 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 133 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (827 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (3,028 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Cork is covered by artificial surfaces (92%), within 10 miles by grassland (55%) and cropland (24%), and within 50 miles by grassland (39%) and water (37%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Cork, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

There are 2 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Cork.

For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Cork according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations.

The estimated value at Cork is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Cork and a given station.

The stations contributing to this reconstruction are:

To get a sense of how much these sources agree with each other, you can view a comparison of Cork and the stations that contribute to our estimates of its temperature history and climate. Please note that each source's contribution is adjusted for elevation and the relative change present in the MERRA-2 data.

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page.