Irish summers face far more extreme evaporation as climate change intensifies heat

A study by Maynooth University researchers warns that climate change will make Irish summers markedly drier through heightened evaporation, even when rainfall modestly rises. The scientists calculate that extreme evaporation is now eight times more probable and its intensity has risen by 7 % compared with the past. July’s historic heatwave, the hottest month on record, produced only 16.1 mm of rain—about one-sixth of the 30-year average—while night-time temperatures reached levels deemed “practically impossible” without human-induced warming.

The team, part of the Wasitus project within the World Weather Attribution network, links the surge in evaporation directly to climate change, though they cannot firmly attribute the lack of rain itself. They caution that future July months may be slightly wetter, but the accompanying heat will still prevent soils, crops and vegetation from retaining moisture. The report urges agricultural and land-management sectors to plan for recurring dry-soil conditions rather than treating the recent summer as an isolated event.