Why are we experiencing such high levels of precipitation when global temperatures are supposedly rising?
In general, a warming atmosphere can absorb more moisture and therefore has a greater capacity for delivering precipitation. However, airflow patterns also play a major role. Annual precipitation over Ireland is quite variable, particularly at a local level, and natural variability in the system ensures that it is difficult to discern a trend from a few years of data. Modelling work suggests that Irish summers will become on average drier and winters will become wetter but nothing can be said about individual future years. The modelling work also suggests that there will be an increase in the frequency of extreme weather events e.g. heavy downpours.
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