Galway weather in February

In February, Galway sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 84 mm of precipitation across 12.9 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 9°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in February, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 36 min at the start of February to 10 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, February is Galway's 7th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Galway's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
84 mm
12.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
8:07 AM – 5:35 PM
Cloud cover
78%
7th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.31 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.4
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 February

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 9°C through the month.

A typical February day in Galway reaches about 9°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 5°C and 11°C. Set against its neighbours, February runs on par with January and about 2°C cooler than March.

-5°10°15°151015202528
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
183
283
383
483
583
683
783
883
993
1093
1193
1293
1393
1493
1593
1693
1793
1893
1993
2093
2193
2293
2393
2493
2593
2693
2793
2893

How February really feels in Galway

Once humidity and wind are folded in, February averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 28 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
28
wind chill below the day's low

The story in February is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Galway weather by month

How February compares with the rest of the year at a glance. February is the 10th-warmest and 6th-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 February

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in February.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of February, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12080
22179
32080
42080
52080
62080
71981
81981
91981
102080
111981
121981
132080
142080
152080
162080
172080
182179
192179
202179
212278
222278
232377
242476
252476
262476
272476
282575

Chance of precipitation in February

Any precipitationSnow

Galway gets around 84 mm of rain and snow over 12.9 wet days in February. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 46% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202528
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1453
2463
3463
4463
5473
6473
7473
8473
9463
10463
11462
12462
13452
14452
15452
16452
17451
18451
19451
20451
21451
22451
23462
24462
25472
26472
27472
28482

Humidity in February

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, February lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100

Wind in February

Winds average 17 km/h in February.

Across February, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202528
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in February

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 36 min at the start of February to 10 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 102 minutes over February. Sunrise moves from 8:32 AM to 7:39 AM, and sunset from 5:07 PM to 6:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202528
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.68:325:07
28.78:305:09
38.78:295:11
48.88:275:13
58.88:255:15
68.98:245:17
78.98:225:19
89.08:205:21
99.18:185:23
109.18:175:25
119.28:155:27
129.38:135:29
139.38:115:31
149.48:095:33
159.58:075:35
169.58:055:36
179.68:035:38
189.78:015:40
199.77:595:42
209.87:575:44
219.97:555:46
229.97:535:48
2310.07:505:50
2410.17:485:52
2510.17:465:54
2610.27:445:56
2710.37:425:58
2810.37:396:00

Solar energy in February

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in February, about 1.31 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 — February's 1.31 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

00.511.522.5151015202528
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.9Dim
21.0Dim
31.0Dim
41.0Dim
51.1Dim
61.1Dim
71.1Dim
81.1Dim
91.1Dim
101.2Dim
111.2Dim
121.2Dim
131.3Dim
141.3Dim
151.3Dim
161.3Dim
171.4Dim
181.4Dim
191.4Dim
201.5Dim
211.5Dim
221.5Dim
231.6Dim
241.6Dim
251.6Dim
261.7Dim
271.7Dim
281.8Dim
Planning a trip in February

Is February a good time to visit Galway?

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

1.4
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

February is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Galway.

What to pack for Galway in February

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

In February, Galway sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Galway in February

The nearest coast averages about 9°C in February — 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 February

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in February peaks around 1. 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
February 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).