Climate of Ireland

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The climate of Ireland is mild, humid, and changeable, with abundant rainfall and a lack of temperature extremes. Ireland's climate is defined as a temperate oceanic climate, or Cfb on the Köppen climate classification system, a classification it shares with most of northwest Europe. The island receives generally warm summers and cool winters. As Ireland is downwind of a large ocean, it is considerably milder in winter than other locations at the same latitude, such as Newfoundland in Canada or Sakhalin in Russia. The Atlantic overturning circulation, which includes ocean currents such as the North Atlantic Current and the Gulf Stream, releases additional heat over the Atlantic, which is then carried by the prevailing winds towards Ireland, giving, for example, Dublin a milder winter climate than other temperate oceanic climates in similar locations. The prevailing wind blows from the southwest, breaking on the high mountains of the west coast. Rainfall is therefore a particularly prominent...

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