September 2022 was the sunniest September in Armagh since 1997, Armagh Observatory & Planetarium have said.
It was also warmer than average, but much wetter too, being the wettest September in Armagh for 12 years.
According to research from the Observatory, the total September precipitation was 110.35 mm (4.34 inches) including 5 trace values, that is, 110.1 mm if trace values are ignored.
This is approximately 60% more than the long-term (1838-2020) average September rainfall at Armagh (68.9 mm) and nearly 70% more than the most recent (1991-2020) 30-year average (65.0 mm).
Despite a pleasant dry spell lasting for about a week around the middle of the month, this was the wettest September at Armagh for 12 years, that is, since September 2010 (132.0 mm).
The wettest day was September 3, with an exceptional daily total of 47.8 mm (1.88 inches). This was followed by 13.6 mm (0.5 inches) on September 11 and 9.2 mm on September 29.
The almost two inches of precipitation on September 3 produced a new daily rainfall record for September at Armagh, namely the wettest September day at Armagh for more than 184 years since rainfall records began at Armagh in 1838.
This is now also the tenth-wettest single day on record at Armagh.
September 2022 was also warmer than average with a mean monthly temperature of 14.2 degrees Celsius (57.6 Fahrenheit), approximately 1.7 C warmer than the 225-year long-term (1796-2020) average September temperature at Armagh (12.54 C) and 0.7 C warmer than the most recent (1991-2020) 30-year September average (13.50 C).
This continues a trend at Armagh in which each of the last four Septembers have been warmer than the most recent (1991-2020) 30-year September average, which itself is significantly warmer than previous 30-year September averages at Armagh.
The warmest day was 22.8 C on September 1s followed by 21.9 C on September 10 and 21.5 C on September 8. The coldest day was 13.8 C on September 27, followed by 14.4 C on September 25.
The highest minimum air temperature, which usually corresponds to the warmest night, was 15.3 C on September 6 followed by 14.4 C on September 9. The lowest minimum air temperature or coolest night was 5.0 C on September 17, followed by 5.7 C on September 16.
In contrast to September 2021, which was much duller than average, this September with 128.6 hours of strong sunshine was sunnier than average, supplying almost 15% more strong sunshine than the 140-year long-term (1881-2020) September average at Armagh (112 hours) and approximately 12% more than the most recent (1991-2020) 30-year average (114 hours).
This was the sunniest September at Armagh for 25 years, that is, since September 1997 (138.8 hours of strong sunshine). The sunniest days, both with 11.4 hours of strong sunshine, were September 4 and 10 followed by 10.3 hours on September 16.
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