Climate and Average Weather Year Round at Ireland West Airport Knock IrelandAt Ireland West Airport Knock, the summers are cool; the winters are long, very cold, and wet; and it is windy and mostly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 36°F to 64°F and is rarely below 29°F or above 71°F. Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Ireland West Airport Knock for warm-weather activities is from early July to late August. Average Temperature at Ireland West Airport KnockThe warm season lasts for 3.1 months, from June 9 to September 13, with an average daily high temperature above 60°F. The hottest month of the year at Ireland West Airport Knock is July, with an average high of 63°F and low of 52°F. The cool season lasts for 4.0 months, from November 17 to March 15, with an average daily high temperature below 48°F. The coldest month of the year at Ireland West Airport Knock is January, with an average low of 36°F and high of 45°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. Langford, Canada (4,413 miles away) is the far-away foreign place with temperatures most similar to Ireland West Airport Knock (view comparison). CloudsAt Ireland West Airport Knock, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year. The clearer part of the year at Ireland West Airport Knock begins around April 1 and lasts for 6.4 months, ending around October 14. The clearest month of the year at Ireland West Airport Knock is July, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 45% of the time. The cloudier part of the year begins around October 14 and lasts for 5.6 months, ending around April 1. The cloudiest month of the year at Ireland West Airport Knock is December, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 71% of the time.
PrecipitationA wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days at Ireland West Airport Knock varies throughout the year. The wetter season lasts 6.1 months, from August 4 to February 8, with a greater than 42% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days at Ireland West Airport Knock is January, with an average of 15.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The drier season lasts 5.9 months, from February 8 to August 4. The month with the fewest wet days at Ireland West Airport Knock is April, with an average of 10.0 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 at Ireland West Airport Knock is December, with an average of 14.6 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 50% on December 30.
RainfallTo 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. Ireland West Airport Knock experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. Rain falls throughout the year at Ireland West Airport Knock. The month with the most rain at Ireland West Airport Knock is November, with an average rainfall of 3.9 inches. The month with the least rain at Ireland West Airport Knock is April, with an average rainfall of 2.1 inches.
SunThe length of the day at Ireland West Airport Knock varies extremely over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 7 hours, 23 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 17 hours, 8 minutes of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 5:02 AM on June 17, and the latest sunrise is 3 hours, 51 minutes later at 8:53 AM on December 29. The earliest sunset is at 4:13 PM on December 13, and the latest sunset is 5 hours, 58 minutes later at 10:11 PM on June 24. Daylight saving time (DST) is observed at Ireland West Airport Knock during 2024, starting in the spring on March 31, lasting 6.9 months, and ending in the fall on October 27. 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. MoonThe 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. HumidityWe 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 at Ireland West Airport Knock, 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.
WindThis 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 at Ireland West Airport Knock experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 5.1 months, from October 25 to March 30, with average wind speeds of more than 13.0 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year at Ireland West Airport Knock is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 15.1 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 6.9 months, from March 30 to October 25. The calmest month of the year at Ireland West Airport Knock is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 11.0 miles per hour.
The predominant average hourly wind direction at Ireland West Airport Knock varies throughout the year. The wind is most often from the west for 2.1 weeks, from January 16 to January 31; for 7.8 months, from February 2 to September 27; for 1.0 months, from October 28 to November 28; and for 1.1 weeks, from December 6 to December 14, with a peak percentage of 43% on August 9. The wind is most often from the south for 2.0 days, from January 31 to February 2; for 1.0 months, from September 27 to October 28; for 1.1 weeks, from November 28 to December 6; and for 1.1 months, from December 14 to January 16, with a peak percentage of 37% on October 11. Water TemperatureIreland West Airport Knock 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 July 1 to September 30, with an average temperature above 57°F. The month of the year at Ireland West Airport Knock with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 60°F. The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.9 months, from December 25 to April 22, with an average temperature below 49°F. The month of the year at Ireland West Airport Knock with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 47°F.
Best Time of Year to VisitTo characterize how pleasant the weather is at Ireland West Airport Knock 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 Ireland West Airport Knock for general outdoor tourist activities is from early July to late August, with a peak score in the last week of July. Tourism Score at Ireland West Airport KnockThe 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 Ireland West Airport Knock for hot-weather activities is from early July to early August, with a peak score in the third week of July. Beach/Pool Score at Ireland West Airport KnockMethodologyFor 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. Growing SeasonDefinitions 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 at Ireland West Airport Knock typically lasts for 8.2 months (252 days), from around March 18 to around November 25, rarely starting before February 23 or after April 20, and rarely ending before October 20 or after December 26. 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 at Ireland West Airport Knock should appear around May 22, only rarely appearing before May 8 or after June 8. Solar EnergyThis 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 3.4 months, from April 30 to August 11, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 4.7 kWh. The brightest month of the year at Ireland West Airport Knock is June, with an average of 5.7 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 4.0 months, from October 21 to February 22, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 1.5 kWh. The darkest month of the year at Ireland West Airport Knock is December, with an average of 0.5 kWh.
TopographyFor the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Ireland West Airport Knock are 53.910 deg latitude, -8.818 deg longitude, and 627 ft elevation. The topography within 2 miles of Ireland West Airport Knock contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 400 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 463 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (709 feet). Within 50 miles contains significant variations in elevation (2,644 feet). The area within 2 miles of Ireland West Airport Knock is covered by herbaceous vegetation (36%), grassland (27%), trees (18%), and artificial surfaces (11%), within 10 miles by grassland (40%) and herbaceous vegetation (31%), and within 50 miles by grassland (35%) and herbaceous vegetation (21%). Data SourcesThis report illustrates the typical weather at Ireland West Airport Knock, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016. Temperature and Dew PointIreland West Airport Knock has a weather station that reported reliably enough during the analysis period that we have included it in our network. When available, historical temperature and dew point measurements are taken directly from this weather station. These records are obtained from NOAA's Integrated Surface Hourly data set, falling back on ICAO METAR records as required. In the case of missing or erroneous measurements from this station, we fall back on records from nearby stations, adjusted according to typical seasonal and diurnal intra-station differences. For a given day of the year and hour of the day, the fallback station is selected to minimize the prediction error over the years for which there are measurements for both stations. The stations on which we may fall back are Shannon Airport, Casement Aerodrome, Dublin Airport, and Belfast International Airport. Other DataAll 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. DisclaimerThe 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. |