Athlone has colder winter nights than 81% of Irish towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 19.9°C. Since 1981–2010, the year has warmed by 0.3°C, most of all in February. Wet days, with 1 mm of rain or more, come about 175 times a year.
Met Éireann 1991–2020 averages for the town’s own square kilometre.
A year in Athlone at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Athlone’s climate
Compared with Irish towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in County Westmeath beside it.
What a year in Athlone feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Met Éireann’s 1991–2020 averages.
52 frosts and 4 days of 25°C a year
Air frosts come mostly from October to May, most of all in March (about 10).
Air frosts by month
Average nights below 0°C
Counted from Mount Dillon’s daily readings, 2004–2020, 34 km north of Athlone: Met Éireann publishes these for its stations only. At that distance, read them as the area’s climate.
About 930 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and April the driest. 3rd wettest of 4 towns of 2,500+ in County Westmeath. The wettest month brings about 1.7 times the rain of the driest. Mount Dillon records 1 mm or more on about 175 days a year, and 10 mm on about 30.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Heating a home in Athlone
83% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: November to April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s mean temperature falls below 15.5°C over a year.
Living with Athlone’s climate
What the averages mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
In half of years the last air frost at Mount Dillon comes by 30 April and the first by 9 October: about 162 frost-free days in between.
Highs of 17–27°C with lows of 8°C or more: Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep.
Parks & trails →Averages smooth over storms, floods and heatwaves; Athlone’s hazards page covers the risks.
Flood & hazards →Met Éireann’s nearest station: Mount Dillon
Mount Dillon is 34 km north of Athlone, the nearest of the 25 synoptic stations where Met Éireann records the weather around the clock. The station stands 39 m above sea level; Athlone’s centre, 36 m.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Air frosts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7.9°C | 1.9°C | 110 mm | 8.6 |
| February | 8.6°C | 1.7°C | 79 mm | 9.1 |
| March | 10.4°C | 1.8°C | 81 mm | 10.1 |
| April | 13.5°C | 3.2°C | 61 mm | 4.6 |
| May | 16.1°C | 5.8°C | 73 mm | 1.4 |
| June | 18.8°C | 8.6°C | 82 mm | 0.0 |
| July | 19.9°C | 10.5°C | 84 mm | 0.0 |
| August | 18.8°C | 10.2°C | 105 mm | 0.1 |
| September | 17.2°C | 8.0°C | 80 mm | 0.6 |
| October | 13.9°C | 5.6°C | 101 mm | 2.8 |
| November | 10.1°C | 3.3°C | 104 mm | 6.4 |
| December | 8.1°C | 2.0°C | 118 mm | 8.5 |
| Year | 13.6°C | 5.2°C | 1,076 mm | 52 |
The table is Mount Dillon’s own record, averaged over 2004–2020 from its daily readings (ours, not a Met Éireann table). The temperatures and rain elsewhere on this page are Met Éireann’s 1 km grid at Athlone itself; the frosts and degree days are this station’s.
How Athlone compares
Against the 321 Irish towns and city neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, each read from Met Éireann’s grid at its own centre, and its place among towns of 2,500+ in County Westmeath.
Warmer than it used to be
Athlone’s 1991–2020 average is 0.3°C warmer than 1981–2010’s. The biggest change is in February (+0.4°C).
A year’s rain is 930 mm, up 3% from 902 mm.
Change by month
The two periods share 1991–2010, so the gap is a decade’s step, not the change between two separate 30-year periods.
Athlone and its neighbours
Every town next door is within half a degree of Athlone in January and July. Choose a measure to recolour the map; tap a town for its climate.
The towns next door, side by side
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 19 km: a hill, a valley or the sea can make a real difference over a short distance.
Each town’s colour is Met Éireann’s 1 km grid at its own centre, so towns a few kilometres apart can differ.
Athlone weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, for the town itself (Met Éireann’s 1 km grid).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8.2°C | 2.2°C | 5.2°C | 92 mm |
| February | 8.9°C | 2.1°C | 5.5°C | 73 mm |
| March | 10.8°C | 3.0°C | 6.9°C | 68 mm |
| April | 13.4°C | 4.5°C | 9.0°C | 57 mm |
| May | 16.2°C | 6.9°C | 11.6°C | 58 mm |
| June | 18.6°C | 9.6°C | 14.1°C | 72 mm |
| July | 19.9°C | 11.5°C | 15.7°C | 74 mm |
| August | 19.5°C | 11.3°C | 15.4°C | 81 mm |
| September | 17.5°C | 9.3°C | 13.4°C | 71 mm |
| October | 13.9°C | 6.6°C | 10.2°C | 93 mm |
| November | 10.5°C | 4.1°C | 7.3°C | 94 mm |
| December | 8.4°C | 2.4°C | 5.4°C | 97 mm |
| Year | 13.8°C | 6.1°C | 10.0°C | 930 mm |
How much a month can swing
December swings the most: over 17 years its average ranged from −1.5°C (2010) to 7.5°C (2015). August is the most reliable, staying within 2.2°C.
Where Athlone’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast: the town’s own from Met Éireann’s grid, the frosts and degree days from its nearest station.
- Temperature and rain: Met Éireann’s 1991–2020 averages on its 1 km grid (Climatological Notes 22 and 23), read at the grid point nearest Athlone’s population centre (0.3 km away).
- Weather station: the nearest of Met Éireann’s 25 synoptic stations, Mount Dillon, 34 km north, from Met Éireann’s station list.
- Frosts and degree days: Mount Dillon’s daily readings from Met Éireann (clidata.met.ie), 2004–2020, averaged by month: a month counts when 27 or more of its days were read (rain and sunshine: every day), and a figure needs 10 such years.
- Then and now: Met Éireann’s 1981–2010 averages on the same 1 km grid, at the same point.
- Altitudes: the town’s ground from the Copernicus GLO-30 surface model (a few metres high in built-up places), the station’s from Met Éireann.
- Comparisons: every Irish town and city neighbourhood of 2,500 or more, read the same way; the five city totals are left out.
- Not on this page: sunshine at this station, snow and wind. Met Éireann publishes none of them on a grid; the frosts here are its nearest station’s, not the town’s own.
Met Éireann 30-year averages · Met Éireann open data. Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Questions about Athlone’s climate
How warm does Athlone get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.9°C.
How cold does Athlone get in winter?
The coldest nights come in February, averaging 2.1°C. At Mount Dillon, the nearest Met Éireann station, the air drops below 0°C on about 52 nights a year (2004–2020).
How much rain does Athlone get?
About 930 mm a year, less than 51% of Irish towns. December is the wettest month (97 mm) and April the driest (57 mm).
How sunny is it?
Met Éireann publishes its 1991–2020 sunshine averages for its weather stations only, not on the 1 km grid this page reads, so there is no sunshine figure for Athlone itself. Its nearest synoptic station is Mount Dillon.
Are these figures for Athlone itself?
Partly. The temperatures and rain are Met Éireann’s 1991–2020 averages on its 1 km grid, read at Athlone’s population centre; the frosts, degree days and year-to-year swings are those of Mount Dillon, 34 km north, the nearest of its synoptic stations.
Where do these figures come from?
Met Éireann’s 1991–2020 climate averages, published as maps of Ireland in 1 km squares (Climatological Notes 22 and 23); the page reads the square at Athlone’s population centre. They are 30-year averages, not a forecast.
Copyright Met Éireann. Source: www.met.ie. This data is published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. Met Éireann does not accept any liability whatsoever for any error or omission in the data, their availability, or for any loss or damage arising from their use. This material has been modified from the original: TownRatings reads the 1 km grid at each town’s population centre. Today’s forecast for Athlone →
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).