Cork climate
Cork (Ireland) has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). The average temperature over the year is 11 °C51 °F, and about 1,198 mm47 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Cork climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 948 | 440 | 744 | 1174.6 | 4 |
| Feb | 948 | 439 | 643 | 883.5 | 4 |
| Mar | 1050 | 439 | 745 | 863.4 | 3 |
| Apr | 1355 | 642 | 948 | 783.1 | 1 |
| May | 1559 | 846 | 1253 | 843.3 | 0 |
| Jun | 1864 | 1151 | 1458 | 903.5 | 0 |
| Jul | 1967 | 1254 | 1660 | 963.8 | 0 |
| Aug | 1966 | 1254 | 1560 | 1024.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 1763 | 1151 | 1457 | 893.5 | 0 |
| Oct | 1457 | 948 | 1152 | 1204.7 | 0 |
| Nov | 1151 | 643 | 947 | 1244.9 | 1 |
| Dec | 948 | 541 | 745 | 1244.9 | 3 |
| Year | 1967 | 439 | 1151 | 1,19847 | 16 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 93% | 73% | 0.8 | 8:15 |
| Feb | 92% | 75% | 1.5 | 9:51 |
| Mar | 90% | 70% | 2.7 | 11:42 |
| Apr | 87% | 66% | 4.2 | 13:49 |
| May | 86% | 69% | 5.2 | 15:38 |
| Jun | 85% | 69% | 5.6 | 16:41 |
| Jul | 86% | 72% | 5.2 | 16:15 |
| Aug | 88% | 70% | 4.4 | 14:38 |
| Sep | 89% | 68% | 3.2 | 12:33 |
| Oct | 91% | 69% | 1.9 | 10:32 |
| Nov | 93% | 69% | 1.0 | 8:43 |
| Dec | 94% | 72% | 0.6 | 7:47 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Cork is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 19 °C67 °F and a low of 12 °C54 °F. The coldest is February, when highs average 9 °C48 °F and lows 4 °C39 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 9.4 °C17 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,198 mm47 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is December (124 mm4.9 in), the driest is April (78 mm3.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 85% in June to 94% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 66%) are typical of April. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 12 km/h (7 mph) in July to 16 km/h (10 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 7.8 hours in December to 16.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit Cork
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June–September: average highs of 17 °C63 °F to 19 °C67 °F with 89 mm3.5 in to 102 mm4.0 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 9 °C48 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Cork
- Winter (December–February) — highs around 9 °C48 °F, lows 439 to 5 °C41 °F, about 109 mm4.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1050 to 15 °C59 °F, lows 439 to 8 °C46 °F, about 83 mm3.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 1864 to 19 °C67 °F, lows 1151 to 12 °C54 °F, about 96 mm3.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1151 to 17 °C63 °F, lows 643 to 11 °C51 °F, about 111 mm4.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Cork compares
Compared with Dublin, about 219 km to the northeast, Cork is on average 0.3 °C0.6 °F warmer and receives 22% more precipitation (1,198 mm47 in vs 983 mm39 in).
Of the 3 places in Ireland covered by World Climates, Cork is the warmest by annual mean temperature and the wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Ireland climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Belfast (United Kingdom, Cfb), Blackpool (United Kingdom, Cfb) and Swansea (United Kingdom, Cfb).
Nearby places
- Limerick 86 km · 10 °C51 °F · 1,091 mm43 in
- Dublin 219 km · 10 °C50 °F · 983 mm39 in
- Isles of Scilly (Hugh Town) 267 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,003 mm40 in
- Valley 305 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,123 mm44 in
- Swansea 313 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,105 mm43 in
- Belfast 345 km · 10 °C50 °F · 1,068 mm42 in
- Plymouth 346 km · 11 °C53 °F · 1,164 mm46 in
- Isle of Man (Douglas) 366 km · 11 °C51 °F · 1,124 mm44 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Cork?
July is the warmest month in Cork, with an average high of 19 °C (67 °F) and an average low of 12 °C (54 °F).
What is the coldest month in Cork?
February is the coldest month, with an average high of 9 °C (48 °F) and an average low of 4 °C (39 °F).
When does it rain the most in Cork?
December is the wettest month with about 124 mm (4.9 in) of precipitation; April is the driest with about 78 mm (3.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Cork?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are June–September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 143 m, while Cork lies at about 10 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.9 °C1.6 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.