Mayo News journalist Anton McNulty suggested that in some areas of Ireland, significant changes have already occurred, highlighting Belmullet Met station which has recorded only 0.3mm of rain so far this year, in an area that usually has 123.7mm in January alone, although a scientist has suggested that it will take decades rather than years for it to be noticed.

Professor Ray Bates, a professor of meteorology at UCD told the newspaper: “Some people have felt that because we haven’t had as many frosty nights in recent years, it was due to global warming,” he said.

“[Global warming] is real and happening but at the moment the natural variability of the climate at our location is more important in determining that changes from season to season than a signal of global warming.”

Some areas of Ireland have suffered the heaviest rainfall on record last year, with Mayo News highlighting that Straide Climate Station saw rainfall on 264 days during 2008, which has not been seen in the station’s 45 year history

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