Kilkenny climate — normals and trends
Kilkenny (Ireland) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 9.5 °C and it receives 784 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 July (15.2 °C on average) and the coldest is January (4.7 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Kilkenny averages 35 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 146 rainy days per year.
Kilkenny has warmed by +0.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.07 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 43 to 27 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 29.7 °C (on 29 June 1976) and the coldest -14.8 °C (on 12 January 1982).
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
KilkennyLeinster
- coords
- 52.65°, -7.25°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
9.5°C
Average daily high
12.6°C
Average daily low
6.4°C
Annual rainfall
784mm
Sunshine / day
7.0h
Mean relative humidity
83%
Average peak wind
19.6km/h
Seasonal range
10.5°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
35 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
146 d/yr
Annual snowfall
10.8 cm
Average feels-like high
10.0 °C
Average feels-like low
3.6 °C
Average peak gust
42.1 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
9.8 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+0.6 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.13 · 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
29.7 °C
29 June 1976
Coldest day
-14.8 °C
12 January 1982
Wettest day
67 mm
25 August 1986
Windiest day
65.9 km/h
24 December 1997
Strongest gust
134.3 km/h
23 April 1947
Hottest feels-like
32.9 °C
13 July 1983
Coldest feels-like
-19.3 °C
12 January 1982
Snowiest day
18.1 cm
8 December 1954
Sunniest day
16.6 h
18 June 2025
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 | 7.1 °C | 0.0 °C | 91 mm | +21 mm |
| Feb | 8.7 °C | +1.1 °C | 74 mm | +17 mm |
| Mar | 11.4 °C | +1.9 °C | 26 mm | -34 mm |
| Apr | 14.5 °C | +2.8 °C | 72 mm | +14 mm |
| May | 17.6 °C | +3.1 °C | 54 mm | -14 mm |
| Jun | 18.2 °C | +1.0 °C | 54 mm | -6 mm |
| Jul | 20.0 °C | +1.4 °C | 75 mm | +14 mm |
| Aug | 19.6 °C | +1.3 °C | 35 mm | -33 mm |
| Sep | 15.9 °C | -0.3 °C | 106 mm | +41 mm |
| Oct | 13.3 °C | +0.2 °C | 96 mm | +22 mm |
| Nov | 10.6 °C | +1.1 °C | 113 mm | +46 mm |
| Dec | 8.9 °C | +1.1 °C | 96 mm | +21 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 Kilkenny?
Kilkenny has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 9.5 °C and it receives 784 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Kilkenny?
The hottest day measured in Kilkenny between 1940 and 2025 was 29 June 1976, reaching 29.7 °C.
What is the coldest day in Kilkenny?
The coldest day measured in Kilkenny between 1940 and 2025 was 12 January 1982, at -14.8 °C.
Does it snow in Kilkenny?
Yes. Kilkenny gets on average 10.8 cm of snow per year and has around 35 frost days.
Has the climate of Kilkenny warmed?
Yes: Kilkenny warmed by +0.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Kilkenny?
The wettest day measured in Kilkenny between 1940 and 2025 was 25 August 1986, with 67 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Kilkenny?
The windiest day measured in Kilkenny between 1940 and 2025 was 24 December 1997, with winds reaching 65.9 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Kilkenny?
The warmest month in Kilkenny is July (15.2 °C on average); the coldest is January (4.7 °C).
How much does it rain in Kilkenny?
Kilkenny receives on average 784 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 146 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Kilkenny?
Kilkenny gets on average 7.0 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 2,555 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Kilkenny?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Kilkenny between 1940 and 2025 was 8 December 1954, with 18.1 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Kilkenny?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Kilkenny.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Kilkenny?
In Kilkenny, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 32.9 °C on 13 July 1983, and the lowest was -19.3 °C on 12 January 1982.
Compare Kilkenny with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Kilkenny