JANUARY MUCH WETTER, SUNNIER, AND COOLER THAN AVERAGE
Armagh Observatory, 5th February 2026: Armagh Observatory reports that January 2026 was much wetter, sunnier, and cooler than average. As with January last year (2025) there were three named storms this year, Goretti, Ingrid, and Chandra, but only the last of the three, namely Storm Chandra, brought damaging impacts to Northern Ireland.
Storm Chandra, named by the UK Met Office, was a deep low-pressure system that brought wet and windy conditions to southwest Ireland, Cornwall, and southwestern parts of Wales on the night of the 26/27 January and later Northern Ireland. Principally affecting the east of the region, this storm was unusual in bringing significant rainfall and strong east or south-easterly winds instead of winds from the prevailing westerly direction.
Total precipitation for the month was 138.6 mm (5.46 inches) including 4 trace values, or 138.4 mm if trace values are ignored. This is approximately 190.4% of the 183-year long-term (1838–2020) average January precipitation at Armagh (72.8 mm) and 190.7% of the most recent (1991–2020) 30-year average (72.7 mm). In other words, this January at Armagh recorded nearly twice the average January precipitation.
Rain Guage at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium. Image Credit: Armagh Observatory and Planetarium
This was the wettest January at Armagh for 58 years, that is, since the exceptionally wet January 1948 (170.8 mm). It was also the third wettest January in a 189 year-long daily rainfall series at Armagh beginning in 1838. The five wettest Januarys at Armagh are now 1948 (170.8 mm), 1877 (140.1 mm), 2026 (138.6 mm), 2008 (133.6 mm), and 2016 (131.9 mm).
The wettest days were the 26th with 34.7 mm, followed by the 22nd with 15.8 mm, and the 27th with 10.1 mm. The first and third of these, both associated with the passage of Storm Chandra, caused localised flooding around the city.
The 26th, with 34.7 mm of precipitation, was also the wettest January day at Armagh for 172 years and the second wettest January day on record at Armagh, that is, since the record-breaking 8th of January 1854 (35.3 mm). The following day saw the lowest 09:00 GMT atmospheric pressure of the month, approximately 972 mbar reduced to mean sea level, and also, in a short-lived shower, the only hail of the month.
Light snow showers were recorded during the first four days of the month followed by a brief sleet shower on the evening of the 5th. A thin covering of snow with depth between 0.5 and 1.5 cm persisted from the 2nd to the 6th.
A band of four jays was observed in the Astropark around midday on the 19th. This follows one report of a jay seen in the Observatory grounds in 2024 and then another of two jays seen in 2025, suggesting that there might now be a breeding pair in nearby woodland. A raft of approximately 40 gulls was seen flying south in a “V” formation around the time of observations on the 28th; and on the afternoon of the 3rd, a pair of geese was observed flying southeast during the late afternoon of the third.
CREDIT: LiamMcArdle.com
The average temperature this January, namely 4.8 Celsius (40.6 Fahrenheit), was 0.6 C warmer than the 225-year long-term (1796–2020) average January temperature at Armagh (4.2 C) but 0.2 C cooler than the most recent (1991–2020) 30-year average (5.0 C).
The highest maximum air temperature, usually the warmest day, was 11.7 C on the 11th, followed by 10.7 C on the 28th, and 10.6 C on the 25th. The lowest maximum temperature, usually the coolest day, was 3.0 C on the 5th, followed by 3.1 C on the 4th, and 3.2 C on the 8th. This shows that there were no days this January in which the maximum air temperature was below freezing.
The highest minimum air temperature, usually the warmest night, was 7.7 C on the 12th, followed by 5.6 C on the 25th, and 5.1 C on the 31st. The lowest minimum air temperature, notionally the coldest night, was -3.1 C attributed to the 1st. However, this date could be slightly misleading because the lowest minimum air temperature actually occurred at the start of the corresponding meteorological day, that is, shortly after 09:00 GMT on 31st December 2025 instead of, as usual, in the small hours after midnight and before 09:00 GMT on the 1st.
This month there were 9 nights with air frosts, that is, with minimum air temperatures less than or equal to zero Celsius, and 22 with ground frost. The coldest ground frosts were -8.0 C on the 10th, followed by -7.4 C on the 1st, and -7.3 C on the 5th.
The total of 57.0 hours of strong sunshine shows that this January was slightly more than 23% sunnier than the 140-year long-term (1881–2020) January average at Armagh (46.2 hours), and 20% sunnier than the most recent (1991–2020) 30-year average (47.4 hours). The sunniest day was the 28th with 6.6 hours of strong sunshine, followed by the 6.1 hours on the 15th and 5.9 hours on the 13th. There were 9 sunless days this January at Armagh, that is, days with zero hours of strong sunshine, compared with the long-term January average of approximately 12.5 sunless days.
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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