This study was conducted by climate scientists, who carried out this rapid weather attribution study, and found the weather experienced on May 26, was the result of human-caused climate change.
On the date in question, exceptionally hot temperatures were experienced, thanks to a combination of high pressure with an unseasonably hot tropical airmass across Ireland between Monday 25 May, and Wednesday, 27 May.
This also beat the the record for the highest daily temperature during May by more than 2 degrees, with the previous record set in Ardfert, Co Kerry in 1997 with 28.4C.
Having been first surpassed on May 25, which marked the first day of this mini heatwave, temperatures rose to 30.6C, which was recorded at Shannon Airport in Co Clare. Overall, Met Éireann said that May 2026 was the seventh warmest May since 1900.
The forecaster found that the increase in the monthly May temperatures was between 2.1 and 2.5C, a remarkable increase under any circumstances.
According to this rapid weather attribution study, which was conducted by researchers at Maynooth University, it was found that none of this would have been possible in a pre industrial climate, and could only have happened with human induced climate change, usually the burning of fossil fuels.
The study was also supported by Met Éireann climate scientists under the umbrella of the WASITUS project at ICARUS Centre in Maynooth University and in collaboration with the World Weather Attribution team.
It was found that due to the world being warmed by 1.3C since pre industrial times, extreme single day temperatures are expected to be experienced in May once every 60 days. They also said that such events will become regular if the world continues to warm and could happen every 20 years if global warming reaches 3 degrees.
"We are starting to see higher temperatures earlier in the season. While this may come as a welcome few days by the beach for some, the fact is these record-breaking May temperatures were not possible without human-caused global warming", Dr Claire Bergin, lead author of this study said of May's record temperatures.
"We need to prioritise the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions immediately if we want to achieve the Paris Agreement, while also investing heavily in adaptation measures to limit the effects of these extreme events".
Elsewhere, climate scientist, Clair Barnes of the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London, has said that the study provides more evidence that climate change is bringing warmer and hotter weather further north, and it is now clear for everyone to see that temperature norms are changing.
Paul Moore, Met Éireann climatologist said that a 2C increase in temperatures is incredible, and shows that we are starting to push the boundaries even wider, in comparison with what we had previously considered possible.
