Galway Temperature by Month

Galway, Galway County, Ireland has an average annual maximum temperature of 14°C (57°F), with moderate seasonal shifts ranging from 10°C (50°F) in January to 20°C (68°F) in July. Below you'll find a full monthly breakdown and a comparison with cities worldwide.

Seasonal changes in Galway bring a little variety without extreme temperature swings. Nighttime lows range from 12°C (54°F) in July to 3°C (37°F) in January.

The chart below illustrates the average maximum day and minimum night temperatures in Galway by month:

From around 4 AM to 6 AM temperatures are at their lowest; by 3 PM they've climbed to their daily peak. July, the warmest month, averages 118 hours of sunshine.

The chart below shows the average temperature throughout the year:

Galway's average annual maximum temperature is 14°C (57°F). To put that in context, here's how it compares to a few well-known destinations:

Lisbon, Portugal averages 21°C (70°F) annually, warm summers, mild winters, and rain mainly in the cooler months.

Zermatt, Switzerland averages just 4°C (39°F) annually due to its altitude, with very cold winters and cool summers even at its warmest.

Boston, USA averages 16°C (61°F) annually, with four distinct seasons and cold winters that rival northern Europe.

Brisbane, Australia averages 26°C (79°F) a year, with warm winters and hot, humid summers.

Temperature alone doesn't tell the whole story, humidity plays a big role in how warm or cold it actually feels. High humidity in summer makes the heat feel more intense, particularly once temperatures climb above 25°C. In winter, the same humidity can make cold air feel sharper than the thermometer suggests.

In the cooler months, when temperatures drop below 10°C, high humidity makes the cold feel more cutting than it would in dry conditions.

In Galway, January is the coolest month, with average highs of 10°C (50°F) and humidity around 90%, considered very high. For a full picture, see our humidity page.

Climate temperature data is typically calculated as a 30-year average. This smooths out year-to-year variability and gives a more reliable picture of what a place is actually like, rather than what happened in any single unusual year.

The readings come from a range of sources, land-based weather stations, ocean buoys, ships, and satellites. That data is collected by weather services around the world, then pooled, quality-checked, and averaged to produce the climate records you see here.

Whether a city sits on the coast or deep inland makes a significant difference to its climate. Coastal areas tend to have more stable temperatures year-round, large bodies of water absorb heat slowly in summer and release it gradually in winter, keeping extremes in check. Cities far from the sea don't benefit from that buffer, which is why continental climates tend to have hotter summers and colder winters than their coastal counterparts at the same latitude.

For more on Galway's weather, including monthly rainfall, sunshine hours, and humidity, visit our Galway climate page.