Cliffs of Moher Weather
On a headland facing two thousand miles of open Atlantic, the weather does not decide whether you are comfortable — it decides whether there is anything to see, and whether some of these tours run at all. Which is why a Cliffs of Moher booking that refunds to twenty-four hours is worth more here than it would be almost anywhere else.
What an Atlantic headland does to a booked day
There is no rainy season and no dry one. The nearest long-record station is Shannon Airport, about seventy kilometres south-east, and its 1991–2020 averages show rain falling on eleven to seventeen days of every month of the year. The cliff top is windier and wetter than the airport figures — it is a hundred metres higher and directly exposed — so read the table as the gentler version of what you will get.
| Month | Mean °C | Mean daily max °C | Rain mm | Wet days | Sun hrs/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.1 | 8.9 | 103.8 | 16.9 | 1.7 |
| February | 6.3 | 9.4 | 86.7 | 13.9 | 2.4 |
| March | 7.5 | 10.9 | 75.8 | 13.4 | 3.6 |
| April | 9.6 | 13.4 | 62.3 | 11.4 | 5.4 |
| May | 12.0 | 16.0 | 63.1 | 12.1 | 5.9 |
| June | 14.5 | 18.3 | 69.6 | 11.3 | 5.5 |
| July | 16.0 | 19.5 | 75.8 | 13.5 | 4.4 |
| August | 15.8 | 19.1 | 87.6 | 13.7 | 4.6 |
| September | 14.1 | 17.5 | 77.4 | 12.9 | 3.9 |
| October | 11.2 | 14.2 | 95.5 | 15.4 | 3.0 |
| November | 8.3 | 11.1 | 106.6 | 16.8 | 2.1 |
| December | 6.4 | 9.2 | 115.4 | 17.2 | 1.5 |
Source: Met Éireann 1991–2020 averages for Shannon Airport. No thirty-year average is published for a station on this stretch of coast.
The useful pattern is not the temperature, which barely moves — six degrees in January to sixteen in July — but the daylight and the sunshine. April, May and June average more than five hours of sun a day and are the driest three months of the year. December and January average under two.
Fog, and the rule that saves a spoiled visit
Sea fog can take the view entirely, and it arrives fast. Travellers here describe a two-minute window to take a photograph before the mist closed in again. The attraction's answer is practical: staff tell you the visibility when you arrive, and a ticket can be reused within twenty-four hours if fog beats you. There is no weather refund, but there is a second attempt. On a guided day, the equivalent is free cancellation up to twenty-four hours before departure — so if the forecast turns the night before, you can still move. What your admission covers sets out the rest.
Wind, and why an umbrella is useless
The attraction's own advice is a rainproof jacket, not an umbrella, and it is not being fussy: an umbrella on an exposed cliff top in a westerly lasts about a minute. Walkers on the guided hike describe going out in winds hitting 50 kilometres an hour and rating the day five stars afterwards, which tells you both that it is doable and that you should dress as though it will happen.
Wind is also what closes the boats. A swell that is merely uncomfortable on a coach road stops a ferry and a cliffs cruise outright.
Which tours the weather can actually cancel
Most of the listings here carry a clause allowing the operator to cancel for bad weather, and the exposure is not spread evenly. It is concentrated in the days that put you on the water.
| Kind of day | Weather exposure | What the listings say | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cliffs cruise from Doolin | High | Named as weather-dependent in the fare on every listing that carries it | The cruise is dropped and the rest of the day runs, or the whole day is refunded |
| Ferry to Inis Oírr | High | Every island day states the crossing is subject to weather | No crossing means no island; operators reroute or refund |
| Coach day from Galway | Low | Three Galway Tour Company listings state they run in all weather | The day runs; what changes is the visibility when you get there |
| Coach day from Dublin | Low | None of the Dublin coaches makes weather a condition of running | Thirteen hours happen regardless, which is the argument for free cancellation |
| Guided walk on the cliff path | Moderate | Exposed for three to four hours with no shelter on the route | Walkers describe going out in 50kph winds; the guide makes the call |
Free cancellation is the weather policy
Almost every day trip here refunds in full up to twenty-four hours ahead, which on this coast is the most valuable line in the terms.
What to wear
- A rainproof jacket with a hood. The attraction asks for it by name.
- Shoes with grip. Three and a half kilometres of path, some of it wet flagstone, and a good deal more if you walk in from Doolin.
- Layers rather than one warm coat. Sixteen degrees in July is the mean, and the wind takes several degrees off whatever the thermometer says.
- Something for your hands in winter. Six degrees and a westerly is a different proposition from six degrees inland.
The twelve months, one at a time
Every month here is doable and none of them is reliable. What changes is the daylight, the sunshine, the crowd and whether the boats are sailing.
January
The coldest month and one of the wettest, at 6.1°C mean and 104mm of rain across nearly seventeen wet days. Under two hours of sun a day, and the gate shuts around five. Empty paths, and the cheapest online band all day.
February
Barely warmer but noticeably drier, at 87mm. Sunshine creeps up to two and a half hours. Still a winter visit: bring everything, expect the wind, and take whatever clear hour you are given.
March
The turn. Rainfall drops to 76mm, sunshine to three and a half hours a day, and the light starts to be worth planning around. The seabirds are returning to the ledges.
April
The driest month of the year at 62mm and only eleven wet days, with five and a half hours of sun. Long daylight, thin crowds, and the Burren's flowers beginning. The best-value month on this coast.
May
The sunniest month, at nearly six hours a day, and still dry at 63mm. Puffins come ashore from late in the month. Ferries and cruises run more reliably than at any other time.
June
Long evenings, 14.5°C, and the gate open late. The puffins are at their most visible and the Burren is in full flower. Crowds build through the month; the 11am–4pm band is genuinely busy.
July
The warmest month at 16°C, and wetter than June at 76mm. Puffins leave by the middle of it. The busiest paths of the year, and the strongest argument for an eight o'clock or a five o'clock arrival.
August
Warm, busy and wetter again at 88mm. Sunset is still late enough for an evening visit, which is the best way to use the month. Book the small-group days well ahead.
September
The quiet reward. Still 14°C, still four hours of sun a day, and the crowds thin from the first week. Swell picks up, so the cruise becomes less certain than it was in June.
October
Rain climbs back to 96mm and sunshine falls to three hours. Autumn light on a west-facing wall is superb when it arrives. Ferry and cruise cancellations become common.
November
107mm of rain, seventeen wet days, two hours of sun. The cliff top is dramatic and frequently invisible. A car and a flexible day beat a fixed booking.
December
The wettest month at 115mm and the darkest at an hour and a half of sun a day. Closed on the 24th, 25th and 26th. Come for the emptiness and the weather rather than the view.
The light, and why late afternoon is the photographer's slot
These cliffs face due west. That is the single most useful thing to know about photographing them: the sun is behind the wall in the morning and on its face in the evening, and the rock goes from grey to amber in the last hour. In high summer the site stays open until nine, which is after the light has done the interesting part.
It also happens to align with the money. The attraction sells online entry in three arrival bands and charges most for 11am to 4pm, which is the flattest light and the busiest path. Its own advice is to come outside that window.
Month-by-month advice on when to come is in the seasonal guide, the ticket and access detail on visiting the cliffs, and every fare on Cliffs of Moher Tours.