Armagh has just endured its dullest October in almost eight decades – but it was also warmer and wetter than average, according to the latest figures from Armagh Observatory.
Meteorologists at the city’s historic weather station reported that October 2025 was the dullest since 1946, with just 47.3 hours of strong sunshine recorded throughout the month – barely half the long-term average. Twenty-three days were totally overcast at 9am, while nine days saw no strong sunshine at all.
Rainfall totalled 108.5mm (4.27 inches) – around 35% higher than the long-term average – ending a remarkable 16-month run of mostly dry weather stretching back to May 2024.
The wettest days came early in the month, with 21.3mm falling on the 2nd and 14.6mm on the 3rd, both linked to Storm Amy, the first named storm of the 2025/26 season. Storm Benjamin later brushed parts of the UK and Ireland towards the end of the month.
Despite the damp and dreary conditions, it was also mild, with an average temperature of 11.2°C — about 1.7°C warmer than the long-term average. The warmest day was the 1st of October, when temperatures reached 19.3°C, while the coolest came on the 23rd, with a maximum of 10.4°C.
The lowest overnight temperature was 3.2°C on the 30th, with just two ground frosts recorded — the coldest being –7.3°C on the 26th.
Even Halloween couldn’t escape the gloom. The 31st was described as a mild but damp day, with drizzle in the morning, a few sunny spells in the afternoon, and rain later on — bringing a total of 11.3mm of rainfall.
The Observatory noted that October 2025 ranks as the second dullest October ever recorded in Armagh’s long weather history, which dates back to 1795. The only gloomier month on record was October 1946, with just 41.9 hours of sunshine.
Other dull Octobers include those of 1916, 1907 and 2017 — but 2025 stands out as the least sunny in 79 years.
Alongside the data, the Observatory’s observers also spotted a few lighter moments amid the clouds — two rainbows (on the 25th and 27th), a jackdaw chasing a herring gull, and two geese flying north-east over Armagh.
Armagh Observatory continues to monitor local weather daily, maintaining one of the longest-running climate records in the world.
