Galway weather in August

In August, Galway sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 91 mm of rain across 14 wet days and about 14.6 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 h 30 min at the start of August to 13 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Galway's 11th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Galway's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
12°
11th coldest
Rainfall
91 mm
14 wet days
Daylight
14 h 36 min
5:23 AM – 7:58 PM
Cloud cover
81%
11th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
3.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Galway is city in Ireland.

Density
1,608/km²
people per km²
Founded
1124

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°C through the month.

A typical August day in Galway reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 2°C warmer than September.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11812
21812
31812
41812
51812
61812
71812
81812
91812
101812
111812
121812
131812
141812
151812
161812
171812
181812
191812
201812
211812
221812
231811
241811
251811
261811
271811
281811
291811
301811
311811

How August really feels in Galway

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

August sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Galway weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 9915.40.77.91.2
Feb / 8412.90.69.41.4
Mar10° / 7813.30.311.52.0
Apr13° / 7613.7013.73.0
May15° / 7913.5015.64.0
Jun17° / 10°7912.9016.64.8
Jul18° / 12°8414.5016.25.0
Aug18° / 12°9114014.65.1
Sep16° / 10°7512.3012.44.6
Oct13° / 9514.1010.33.3
Nov10° / 10114.408.42.1
Dec / 10415.20.47.41.3

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 84%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11288
21288
31288
41288
51288
61387
71486
81486
91486
101585
111684
121684
131783
141783
151783
161783
171882
181882
191882
201981
211981
221981
231981
241981
251981
261882
271882
281981
291882
301882
311882

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Galway gets around 91 mm of rain over 14 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 45% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
148
248
347
447
546
646
746
845
945
1045
1145
1245
1345
1446
1547
1647
1748
1848
1948
2048
2147
2247
2346
2445
2543
2642
2741
2840
2939
3038
3138

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of August feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, August lands in the dry band about 65% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
160346
260346
361336
461336
561336
661336
761336
860346
961345
1061345
1161345
1261345
1362335
1462335
1562335
1663325
1764324
1865314
1965314
2066304
2167294
2269283
2369283
2470273
2571263
2671263
2771263
2872253
2972253
3073243
3173243

Wind in August

Winds average 14 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 h 30 min at the start of August to 13 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 114 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 4:57 AM to 5:50 AM, and sunset from 8:27 PM to 7:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.54:578:27
215.44:598:25
315.45:018:23
415.35:028:22
515.35:048:20
615.25:068:18
715.15:078:16
815.15:098:14
915.05:118:12
1015.05:138:10
1114.95:148:08
1214.85:168:06
1314.85:188:04
1414.75:208:02
1514.65:218:00
1614.65:237:58
1714.55:257:55
1814.45:277:53
1914.45:287:51
2014.35:307:49
2114.25:327:46
2214.25:347:44
2314.15:357:42
2414.05:377:40
2514.05:397:37
2613.95:417:35
2713.85:437:32
2813.85:447:30
2913.75:467:28
3013.65:487:25
3113.65:507:23

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 3.51 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.49 kWh/m² to a high of 4.71 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 3.51 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.8Moderate
23.7Moderate
33.7Moderate
43.7Moderate
53.7Moderate
63.7Moderate
73.7Moderate
83.6Moderate
93.6Moderate
103.6Moderate
113.6Moderate
123.6Moderate
133.6Moderate
143.6Moderate
153.5Moderate
163.5Moderate
173.5Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.4Moderate
213.4Moderate
223.4Moderate
233.4Moderate
243.3Moderate
253.3Moderate
263.3Moderate
273.3Moderate
283.2Moderate
293.2Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Galway?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.1
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
1.7
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Galway for sightseeing.

What to pack for Galway in August

From August's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In August, Galway sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 12°C. Pack rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

rain gear

Sea temperature near Galway in August

The nearest coast averages about 16°C in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 27 km away) is warmest in August at about 16°C and coldest in February near 9°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb9Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug16Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Galway in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Galway peaks around August 11 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 11UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun6High
Jul5High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Galway?

Galway sits at 53.3°N, 9.1°W, 10 m above sea level, in Ireland. The nearest listed city is Ennis, 48 km away.

EnnisLimerickAthloneTullamoreAn Muileann gCearrSligoTraleePortlaoise

Topography around Galway

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Galway.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Galway has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 72 m around an average of 12 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 237 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 824 m.

The land around Galway is covered by water (35%), artificial surfaces (26%) and grassland (22%) within 3 km, grassland (54%) and water (33%) within 16 km, and grassland (65%) and water (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
72 m
16 km
237 m
80 km
824 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
August weather nearby: Ennis 48 km · Limerick 73 km · Athlone 76 km · Tullamore 104 km · An Muileann gCearr 117 km · Sligo 117 km · Tralee 120 km · Portlaoise 120 km

Ireland travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 85% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$131,592
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
96%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Roman Catholic 69%none 15%Protestant 4%Orthodox 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Galway (53.2724°, -9.051°, elevation 10 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).