Donegal weather by month & the best time to visit
🇮🇪 Ireland · seaside town · oceanic / maritime climate
The best time to visit Donegal is July — its sunniest month (Sunshine Score 49/100), with August and June close behind. Donegal averages about 1,424 hours of sunshine a year. Daytime highs around 17°C / 63°F and roughly 119 mm of rain in July.
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- Sun hours / year
- 1,424
- Sunniest month
- July
- Peak score
- 49/100
- Rain / year
- 1,412 mm
- Midday UV at peak
- 5 (moderate)
- Sea at warmest
- 16°C / 61°F
- Population
- 3k
- Elevation
- 6 m
When is the best time to visit Donegal?
For sunshine, the best time to visit Donegal is July, then August and June. The dullest month is January (0/100, 143 mm of rain). The full month-by-month picture is in the table below.
How sunny is Donegal?
Donegal isn't a sunny place by world standards: about 1,424 hours of sunshine a year. 49 Sunshine Score points separate July (49) from January (0), so the month you pick matters. It ranks #5 of 10 destinations in Ireland for annual sunshine, above the national median of 1,418 hours. The year's 1,412 mm of rain spreads fairly evenly across the months, with no pronounced dry season.
Sunshine Score by month
| Month | Score | Day high | Night low | Rain | UV | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | 8° / 46°F | 4° / 39°F | 143 mm | 0 | 8° / 46°F |
| February | 0 | 7° / 45°F | 4° / 39°F | 110 mm | 1 | 8° / 46°F |
| March | 6 | 9° / 48°F | 4° / 39°F | 102 mm | 1 | 8° / 46°F |
| April | 18 | 11° / 52°F | 6° / 43°F | 77 mm | 3 | 10° / 50°F |
| May | 29 | 13° / 55°F | 8° / 46°F | 97 mm | 4 | 13° / 55°F |
| June | 45 | 16° / 61°F | 11° / 52°F | 103 mm | 5 | 14° / 57°F |
| July | 49 | 17° / 63°F | 12° / 54°F | 119 mm | 4 | 15° / 59°F |
| August | 48 | 17° / 63°F | 12° / 54°F | 127 mm | 4 | 16° / 61°F |
| September | 39 | 15° / 59°F | 11° / 52°F | 109 mm | 3 | 15° / 59°F |
| October | 26 | 13° / 55°F | 9° / 48°F | 134 mm | 1 | 13° / 55°F |
| November | 10 | 10° / 50°F | 7° / 45°F | 143 mm | 0 | 11° / 52°F |
| December | 0 | 8° / 46°F | 5° / 41°F | 148 mm | 0 | 10° / 50°F |
Sea temperature in Donegal by month
The sea off Donegal is warmest in August at around 16°C / 61°F, and coolest in January at 8°C / 46°F. It never reaches comfortable swimming temperatures (21°C+). Month-by-month sea-surface temperatures are in the Sea column of the table above.
See Donegal on the interactive sunshine globe →
Nearby places for sunshine
- Charlestown Ireland · 130 km · best in Jul · 1,412 h sun/yr
- Belfast United Kingdom · 143 km · best in Jul · 1,263 h sun/yr
- Dublin Ireland · 225 km · best in Jul · 1,488 h sun/yr
- Glasgow United Kingdom · 244 km · best in Jul · 1,304 h sun/yr
- Castletown Isle of Man · 262 km · best in Jul · 1,459 h sun/yr
- Glasgow United Kingdom · 263 km · best in Jul · 1,306 h sun/yr
Nearest destinations
- Derry United Kingdom · 75 km · 1,326 h sun/yr · best in Jul
- Isle of Islay, Argyll and Bute United Kingdom · 150 km · 1,329 h sun/yr · best in Jul
- Colonsay United Kingdom · 174 km · 1,375 h sun/yr · best in Jul
- Campbeltown United Kingdom · 174 km · 1,303 h sun/yr · best in Jul
Put the Donegal sunshine badge on your site
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