In its climate statement for winter 2025/26, Met Éireann said temperatures were above average for the sixth consecutive season.
Meteorological winter includes the months of December, January, and February.
Storm Bram on December 9 brought the season’s highest air temperature of 17.2C, recorded at Phoenix Park in Dublin.
That marked the highest maximum December temperature recorded at Phoenix Park since 1998.
January 27 marked the arrival of Storm Chandra, bringing widespread heavy rainfall and storm force winds at the Malin Head station in Co Donegal.
Storms Bram and Chandra brought strong winds last winter. Photo: Stock
7 Day Weather Forecast – 2nd March to 8th March
The average temperature for the period stood at 6.58C, ranking it as the 20th mildest winter in Ireland since 1900.
Rainfall amounted to 113pc of the average from 1991 to 2020, making it the 17th wettest winter.
Co Wexford’s Johnstown Castle recorded its wettest winter since 2016, and the second wettest since records began there 84 years ago.
The station also had the season’s highest rainfall total for a single day, at 51.1mm, on Sunday, December 14.
At the beginning of winter, the first two-thirds of December brought a mixed bag of mild, wet and windy conditions, while the latter part of the month was cooler and drier.
January was cold and mostly dry to start with plenty of winter sunshine and frost by night. The second half of January and the first two-thirds of February had prolonged spells of heavy rain, particularly in the south and east of the country.
While most areas experienced above average rainfall, it was wettest in the east and south. The lowest total rainfall was recorded at Shannon Airport in Co Clare, with 266.4mm.
The highest total rainfall (532.0mm) was recorded at the Valentia Observatory in Co Kerry. The Kerry station also recorded 20 ‘very wet days’ – days with 10mm or more of rain.
Dublin Airport and Casement Aerodrome in Co Dublin had the lowest number of ‘rain days’ (days with 0.2mm or more of rainfall) with 66. Newport, Co Mayo had the highest number of rain days with 77.
Temperatures were above average across the country, ranging between 5.1C at Knock Airport, Co Mayo and 8.2C at Sherkin Island in Co Cork.
The lowest air temperature of winter was recorded at Athenry in Co Galway, at -5.3C.
Sunshine was varied around the country, ranging from 128.6 hours of sunshine at Belmullet, Co Mayo to 182 hours at Johnstown Castle.
Cork Airport had the most sunshine recorded on a single day with 8.3 hours on Sunday, February 1.
Dublin Airport recorded its dullest winter since 1994, with a total of 158.9 hours of sunshine recorded.
Gale force winds were reported on a number of days, particularly during Storm Bram in late January and Storm Chandra in early February.
Malin Head had 24 days with gale forced winds recorded, and also recorded the highest gust of 130kmh and the highest 10-minute mean wind speed of 104kmh.