Armagh Observatory reports that July 2024 was cooler, drier, and duller than average, the first time this has happened at Armagh since 2011.
The mean temperature this month was 15.1 degrees Celsius (59.2 Fahrenheit). Although this is approximately 0.26 C warmer than the 225-year long-term (1796-2020) average July temperature at Armagh (14.87 C), it is 0.59 C cooler than the most recent (1991-2020) 30-year July average (15.72 C). This was the coolest July at Armagh for four years, that is, since 14.6 C was recorded in July 2020.
The warmest day, or highest daily maximum, was 24.3 C on the 19th, followed by 22.6 C on the 31st and 22.4 C on the 28th. The warmest day this month was slightly cooler than the warmest last month (24.8 C, on June 24th), so that remains the warmest day of the year so far at Armagh.
The coolest day, or lowest daily maximum, was 14.2 C on the 10th, followed by 14.8 C on the 9th and 16.5 C on the 11th. The highest minimum temperature, usually the warmest night, was 14.6 C on the 25th, followed by 14.3 C on the evening of the 23rd (and therefore attributed to the 24th) and 14.1 C on the 18th. The lowest minimum temperature, usually the coolest night, was 7.0 C on the 8th, followed by 8.1 C on the 12th and 8.4 C on the 6th.
There were no air or ground frosts this month. The coolest ground frosts were 0.7 C on the 8th, followed by 1.1 C on the 12th and 2.7 C on the 9th.
There was no thunder or lightning this month at Armagh, nor any rainbows. On the 16th the observer saw a rook chasing off a buzzard, a much larger bird. This is a surprisingly common occurrence when the smaller bird (rook or gull) acts instinctively to protect their young. On the 29th, in the insect world, a wasp was seen attacking and quickly despatching a large fly.
Total precipitation was 49.15 mm (1.94 inches) including seven trace values, that is, 48.8 mm if trace values are ignored. This is just two-thirds of the 183-year long-term (1838-2020) average July precipitation at Armagh (73.4 mm) and approximately 71% of the slightly lower most recent (1991-2020) 30-year July average (69.0 mm), making this July drier than average at Armagh.
Contrary to widely reported predictions earlier in the year of a washout summer for the UK, the three months May, June, and July have each been drier than average at Armagh and this year has seen no days with more than 25.0 mm (about an inch) of precipitation at Armagh. Rain has been as frequent as ever but often in relatively small amounts. This has perhaps given the impression of a wet month despite the instrumental record. At Armagh, the wettest July day was 14.9 mm on the 9th, followed by 6.9 mm on the 26th and 4.4 mm on the 22nd.
With just 116.5 hours of strong sunshine, July 2024 was duller than average, supplying only 85.7% of the 140-year long-term (1881-2020) July average (135.9 hours) at Armagh and 86.4% of the most recent (1991-2020) 30-year average (134.8 hours). This was the fifth month in a row at Armagh duller than average, which partly explains the perceived poor summer and lack of hot summer days. The sunniest day was the 8th, with just 9.8 hours of strong sunshine, followed by the 4th with 9.0 hours and the 30th with 8.9 hours.
These data refer to observations at Armagh Observatory, which has been recording the weather at Armagh since 1795.
For further information, please contact:
Professor Mark E. Bailey
Emeritus Director of Armagh Observatory
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium
College Hill
Armagh
BT61 9DG
Tel: 028-3752-2928
E-mail: mark.bailey@armagh.ac.uk
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