Best time to visit Cork

Re-score for me — drag the dial — every chart on the page recolours live for your heat limit 27°C
I'm comfortable up to 27°C feels-like
22° heat-averse 30° heat-loving

Default 27 °C is the upper edge of the Holiday Climate Index "ideal comfort" band (Scott, Rutty, Amelung & Tang, 2016). Above this, most warm-tourism travellers report measurable discomfort.

Saved to this browser. Changes update the strips below.
Recent · 2020-2024
Interest Google Trends 2021-2025 searches, not arrivals (?)
Day · avg daily high (?)
Night · avg overnight low (?)
UV index · On a typical day around midday, UV is about this (?)
1234444311
On the sunniest 1 in 10 days, UV reaches this — and even higher
4664
PM2.5 air quality · on a typical day (?)
567776466566
On the worst 1 in 10 days, PM2.5 reaches this — and even higher
89121311106997910
June 6/10 feels 16°C · HCI 64/100
Day 18° · Night 11° 68% humidity 19 km/h wind 12 rain days (166h) 221h sun
Thermal 6
Sky 6
Rain 5
Wind 10

Higher = better, including rain & wind (green = "doesn't hurt the score", not "lots of it").

How is this scored? HCI / Steadman / CCI gate — full methodology and citations below.

Compare with another destination

Add as many as you like — stacked below the main strips above. Each row is just the recent-window score strip and (for beach destinations) sea-temperature strip.

Tours in Cork

7 top-rated tours via Viator. Booking links earn this site a commission at no cost to you.

  1. 1Private Ring of Kerry Highlights Tour from Cork, Car or Minibus4.90★ (39)8hfrom $683🔥 Selling fast
  2. 2Rebel City Distillery Tour4.99★ (236)1hfrom $33🔥 Selling fast
  3. 3Cork Midleton DistilleryJameson Experience & Whiskey Tasting4.85★ (745)1h 15mfrom $36
  4. 4Hysterical Histories Cork Pick your own Path Walking tours5.00★ (9)1h 45mfrom $24🔥 Selling fast
  5. 5Electric Bike Tour in Kinsale Town Cork Ireland5.00★ (6)2h 15mfrom $79🔥 Selling fast
  6. 6Wild Coast Bike and EBike Tour in Kinsale Cork Ireland5.00★ (16)2h 15mfrom $79🔥 Selling fast
  7. 7Cobh (Cork) to Blarney Castle & Kinsale - Shore Excursion4.81★ (582)8hfrom $93

Last refreshed 2026-06-10.

Similar climatesKilkenny96% · Waterford95% · Galway92%

Other destinations with the most-alike year-round climate to Cork (apparent temperature, rain hours, sunshine — matched within the same trip-profile). The ±N chip compares each match's typical score for the current month against Cork's. Based on the 2020-2024 climatology, not this year's actual weather.

Month-by-month

Month Temp °C Feels °C Rain days Rain h Rain h/day Humidity Wind km/h Sun h UV Interest Score
Jan 3–8 5 12 147 12.3 85% 20 93 — Quiet 4
Feb 5–10 6 16 208 13.0 78% 25 99 1 Quiet 4
Mar 4–11 7 16 212 13.3 75% 22 146 2 Quiet 4
Apr 6–12 10 12 162 13.5 70% 19 188 3 Quiet 5
May 8–15 13 14 185 13.2 69% 19 229 4 Quiet 5
Jun 11–18 16 12 166 13.8 68% 19 221 4 Quiet 6
Jul 12–19 18 14 178 12.7 70% 19 217 4 Moderate 6
Aug 12–19 18 15 195 13.0 70% 19 212 4 Peak 6
Sep 11–17 16 12 154 12.8 75% 19 164 3 Busy 6
Oct 9–14 12 18 255 14.2 80% 22 128 1 Quiet 4
Nov 6–11 8 15 183 12.2 84% 22 94 1 Busy 4
Dec 5–9 6 17 191 11.2 85% 24 81 — Moderate 3

UV Index in Cork by Month

UV index in Cork peaks at 4 (moderate) in June, dropping to 0 (low) in January.

Best months in detail

June

6/10

11–18°C (feels 16°C) · 12 rain days (166h) · 221 sun hours · 68% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 4 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 6 (high)

July

6/10

12–19°C (feels 18°C) · 14 rain days (178h) · 217 sun hours · 70% humidity · Moderate crowd · UV 4 (moderate)

September

6/10

11–17°C (feels 16°C) · 12 rain days (154h) · 164 sun hours · 75% humidity · Busy crowd · UV 3 (low) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 4 (moderate)

Every month

Show the other 9 months in detail

January

4/10

3–8°C (feels 5°C) · 12 rain days (147h) · 93 sun hours · 85% humidity · Quiet crowd

February

4/10

5–10°C (feels 6°C) · 16 rain days (208h) · 99 sun hours · 78% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 1 (low)

March

4/10

4–11°C (feels 7°C) · 16 rain days (212h) · 146 sun hours · 75% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 2 (low)

April

5/10

6–12°C (feels 10°C) · 12 rain days (162h) · 188 sun hours · 70% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 3 (low) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 4 (moderate)

May

5/10

8–15°C (feels 13°C) · 14 rain days (185h) · 229 sun hours · 69% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 4 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 6 (moderate)

August

6/10

12–19°C (feels 18°C) · 15 rain days (195h) · 212 sun hours · 70% humidity · Peak crowd · UV 4 (moderate)

October

4/10

9–14°C (feels 12°C) · 18 rain days (255h) · 128 sun hours · 80% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 1 (low)

November

4/10

6–11°C (feels 8°C) · 15 rain days (183h) · 94 sun hours · 84% humidity · Busy crowd · UV 1 (low)

December

3/10

5–9°C (feels 6°C) · 17 rain days (191h) · 81 sun hours · 85% humidity · Moderate crowd

Frequently asked questions about visiting Cork

When is the best time to visit Cork?

June is the highest-scoring month (6/10 on the Holiday Climate Index). Typical conditions: 11–18°C (12 rainy days). The top three months by score are June, July, September.

What is the worst time to visit Cork?

December is the lowest-scoring month (3/10). Typical conditions: 5–9°C (17 rainy days).

When are crowds lowest in Cork?

Search-interest seasonality (Google Trends 2021-2025) is lowest in March and peaks in August. Interest tracks both in-trip visitors and lead-time planners, so treat it as a "destination is on people's minds" signal rather than literal arrivals.

Which months in Cork have good weather but fewer tourists?

June (climate 6/10, crowd index 30) — shoulder months with above-average climate and below-median search-interest. Often the best value-for-weather trade.

What is the UV index in Cork by month?

UV peaks at 4 (moderate) in June and is lowest in January at 0 (low). Monthly peak values: Jan —, Feb 1, Mar 2, Apr 3, May 4, Jun 4, Jul 4, Aug 4, Sep 3, Oct 1, Nov 1, Dec —.

What is the UV index in Cork in June?

June is the peak UV month in Cork, with a daily-peak UV index of 4 (moderate). Standard sun protection — sunglasses and light SPF — is recommended.

How high can UV get in Cork on the sunniest days?

Most days look like the monthly average, but on the sunniest ~1 in 10 days UV climbs higher than the mean suggests. June is the worst case: typical days average UV 4 (moderate), but the top 10% of days reach UV 6 (high) — and even higher. Months where the sunniest days routinely exceed the typical reading: April, May, June, September. Plan sun protection for the worst case, not the average.