Thailand has a hot tropical climate of an average of 33 degrees Celsius for 12 months of the year, although it does have a rainy season lasting several months from around June until the end of November. With Thailand enjoying around eight hours of sunshine per day, adjusting to the harsh Irish climate is no easy task.
Ireland’s weather can be very unpredictable and it isn’t unusual to experience four seasons throughout the course of a single day! While this can be something of phenomena for visitors to the emerald isle for the first time, to the local inhabitants it’s just another day to be tolerated as best as can be.
Ireland’s weather is greatly influenced by the changeable nature of the weather fronts which race in from the Atlantic Ocean. A normal feature of the weather is strong winds along with rain and hail which sweep in from the ocean. Considering the buffeting the country experiences the climate is relatively mild, although winters can be cold as with other western coastal European countries.
During the winter months of January through to March, snow can be experienced, but is relatively light compared to countries further North like Scotland. Frost is found fairly frequently throughout the autumn and winter months and it’s not uncommon to experience around 50 days of frost annually.
Coming from an all year round hot climate in Thailand to Ireland’s dramatically changing four seasons of wind, rain, snow, frost and ice can be something of a shock and takes time to adjust and acclimatize. In Thailand for most days of the year it is light for around 12 hours, whereas in Ireland’s winter months there may be as little as six to seven hours of light. However, during the height of summer in July and August daylight hours can last for as long as eighteen hours.
Depending on the time of year you decide to come to Ireland, if possible, it would be sound advice to come in the summer months giving you plenty of time to acclimatize and adjust gradually before the arrival of the harsher winter months. Arriving in early April or just after the Songkran festivities are finished in Thailand would be the ideal time to visit.
Some sound advice regarding clothing would be to probably buy warm and water proofed clothing such as coats, sweaters, raincoats, gloves and hats locally, rather than bringing them over from Thailand. As previously mentioned the weather can be extremely changeable so using layered clothing which can easily and conveniently be worn then removed is highly recommended. Ireland is a beautiful country of green pastures, rivers, valleys and mountains which should be fully enjoyed as long as you prepare for the weather in advance.