Buncrana climate — normals and trends
Buncrana (Ireland) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 9.9 °C and it receives 989 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is August (14.6 °C on average) and the coldest is January (5.7 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Buncrana averages 7 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 199 rainy days per year.
Buncrana has warmed by +0.9 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.11 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 11 to 3 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 27.9 °C (on 19 July 2006) and the coldest -9.1 °C (on 1 March 1947).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
BuncranaUlster
- coords
- 55.13°, -7.45°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
9.9°C
Average daily high
12.0°C
Average daily low
7.7°C
Annual rainfall
989mm
Sunshine / day
7.4h
Mean relative humidity
80%
Average peak wind
27.3km/h
Seasonal range
8.9°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
7 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
199 d/yr
Annual snowfall
12.2 cm
Average feels-like high
8.7 °C
Average feels-like low
3.8 °C
Average peak gust
52.3 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
9.3 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+0.9 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.27 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
27.9 °C
19 July 2006
Coldest day
-9.1 °C
1 March 1947
Wettest day
44 mm
23 August 2015
Windiest day
82.2 km/h
26 December 1998
Strongest gust
158.4 km/h
20 March 1986
Hottest feels-like
29.0 °C
29 July 1948
Coldest feels-like
-14.1 °C
1 March 1947
Snowiest day
19.8 cm
30 March 2010
Sunniest day
17.0 h
7 June 1940
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7.8 °C | +0.3 °C | 55 mm | -36 mm |
| Feb | 8.7 °C | +1.0 °C | 76 mm | +4 mm |
| Mar | 11.1 °C | +2.0 °C | 28 mm | -46 mm |
| Apr | 14.3 °C | +3.4 °C | 89 mm | +22 mm |
| May | 15.7 °C | +2.3 °C | 58 mm | -10 mm |
| Jun | 16.6 °C | +1.0 °C | 112 mm | +41 mm |
| Jul | 18.2 °C | +1.4 °C | 61 mm | -19 mm |
| Aug | 18.8 °C | +1.8 °C | 75 mm | -14 mm |
| Sep | 15.5 °C | 0.0 °C | 101 mm | +16 mm |
| Oct | 13.0 °C | +0.1 °C | 141 mm | +43 mm |
| Nov | 10.5 °C | +0.6 °C | 140 mm | +45 mm |
| Dec | 9.2 °C | +0.9 °C | 82 mm | -17 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Buncrana?
Buncrana has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 9.9 °C and it receives 989 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Buncrana?
The hottest day measured in Buncrana between 1940 and 2025 was 19 July 2006, reaching 27.9 °C.
What is the coldest day in Buncrana?
The coldest day measured in Buncrana between 1940 and 2025 was 1 March 1947, at -9.1 °C.
Does it snow in Buncrana?
Yes. Buncrana gets on average 12.2 cm of snow per year and has around 7 frost days.
Has the climate of Buncrana warmed?
Yes: Buncrana warmed by +0.9 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Buncrana?
The wettest day measured in Buncrana between 1940 and 2025 was 23 August 2015, with 44 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Buncrana?
The windiest day measured in Buncrana between 1940 and 2025 was 26 December 1998, with winds reaching 82.2 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Buncrana?
The warmest month in Buncrana is August (14.6 °C on average); the coldest is January (5.7 °C).
How much does it rain in Buncrana?
Buncrana receives on average 989 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 199 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Buncrana?
Buncrana gets on average 7.4 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 2,701 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Buncrana?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Buncrana between 1940 and 2025 was 30 March 2010, with 19.8 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Buncrana?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Buncrana.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Buncrana?
In Buncrana, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 29.0 °C on 29 July 1948, and the lowest was -14.1 °C on 1 March 1947.
Compare Buncrana with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Buncrana