climate

Climate The climate in Ireland is usually cold and wet but usually doesn’t get below freezing because of the Gulf Stream wind that blows from the west coast of the island nation. Common weather for Ireland is rain it usually doesn’t snow but sometimes it does.

Changing global temperatures are slowly altering the landscape, flora and fauna, precipitation patterns, flooding patterns, and weather extremes of the island. These effects--coupled with Ireland’s recent economic growth and increasing energy demands--threaten the culture and lifestyle of Ireland’s citizens.

Temperatures in Ireland are already rising and the risk is that over time, the Emerald Isle’s greens will turn to brown. Ireland’s fabled soft rains will become strong downpours in the North and West, leading to considerable erosion.

Bog bursts – when great slabs of peat careen down a slope like a California mudslide – will be more common. The potato, a staple food that has its place in another time of Irish crisis, could be a threatened crop once again. Ireland’s lakes and streams – renowned for salmon and sea trout – will be depleted and suffer along with the tourism industry which depends upon them. []