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Where to go in February / Ireland in February / The south of Ireland / February

Ireland · Beach

The south of Ireland
in February.

Illustration of Derrynane coast on the Ring of Kerry
Derrynane coast, County KerryDestination view, not month-specific.

Is February a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Similar overnight stays to January.

February averages 50°F afternoons and 49°F seas, with about 14 rain days.

Afternoons
50°F
Sea
49°F
Visitor demand
17%of August peak

Historical Southern regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Cork, Kerry, Ring of Kerry and Cliffs of Moher; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

3.0/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#10 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather1.0/10Poor
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for Europe this month
CostPriceyfor Europe; Ireland-wide price level

Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.

Plan your February

What to expect.

What should I pack?

Afternoons around 50°F (10°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 38°F (3°C): a warm coat. Bring rain gear: about 14 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 10 hours of daylight.

Can I swim in February?

The sea averages 49°F. Our swimming guide: very cold: wetsuit weather. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.

Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.

A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights, sea temperature & daylight Show detailsHide details

About 10 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:51Sunset 17:4438°F50°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:51 and sets about 17:44 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 38°F (3°C); afternoons reach about 50°F (10°C). Expect rain on about 14 days in a typical February.

Typical afternoon
50°F (10°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Februarys
Night low
38°F (3°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
49°F (9°C)
very cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
9h 53m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late February?

Early and late February have similar afternoon averages. The afternoon high averages 49°F on the 1st, versus 50°F on the 28th. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 48% to 41% between those dates.

Early February 1 February

49°F

Typical afternoon high

48% historical wet-day frequency

Mid February 15 February

50°F

Typical afternoon high

54% historical wet-day frequency

Late February 28 February

50°F

Typical afternoon high

41% historical wet-day frequency

Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.

Public holidays · 2027: 1 Feb Saint Brigid's Day.

Daily calendar & holiday datesFebruary 2027 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar

February 2027 calendar

Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
149°249°349°448°548°648°749°
849°949°1049°1149°1249°1349°1450°
1550°1650°1750°1850°1951°2051°2151°
2251°2350°2450°2550°2650°2750°2850°

Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event

Afternoons warm from about 48°F (9°C) in the first week to 50°F (10°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 41–54%.

School-holiday dates for February 2027 aren't available in our data yet. A day without a school marker doesn't mean schools are open. Public holidays: 1 Feb Saint Brigid's Day. Elsewhere in February 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: France 42%, Netherlands 46%, Belgium 25%, Czechia 18%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds, cost and getting there

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Low season. February averages 17% of August's overnight stays per day. Similar overnight stays to January.

Overnight stays across Southern do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, typical for Europe this month.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

Well below usual. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.

Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.

Ireland as a whole
Above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 129 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.
Recorded US nonstop flights · 2024
Recorded this month
from Boston and New York JFK; 2024 schedule, Eurostat

Year-to-year variation

How much does February vary?

Across the recorded years

In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 46°F (8°C) and 52°F (11°C); in 13 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 50°F (10°C). Rain days ranged from 3 to 23; half the years had 10–18.

Rain days in each February

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 18 rain days1820112012: 6 rain days62013: 8 rain days82014: 23 rain days232015: 10 rain days102016: 15 rain days152017: 14 rain days142018: 11 rain days112019: 11 rain days112020: 22 rain days222021: 17 rain days172022: 18 rain days182023: 3 rain days32024: 15 rain days152025: 14 rain days142025
Rain days
14
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 21 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
1 of 28
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no February in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
0 of 28
rated very good or better
See every recorded FebruaryHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201151°F18
201251°F6
201347°F8
201448°F23
201547°F10
201648°F15
201750°F14
201846°F11
201952°F11
202049°F22
202149°F17
202251°F18
202352°F3
202452°F15
202550°F14

Checked against 29 local weather stations. How we check

Compare dates

January, February
or March?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs August peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsJanFebMar
Afternoons48°F50°F52°F
Sea49°F49°F49°F
Rain days131411
Overnight demand15%17%21%

January: Similar monthly conditions to February. January guide →

March: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days than February. More overnight demand. March guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.

Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with February Show comparisonHide comparison

Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. February stays as your reference.

April to October have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than February, but more overnight stays.

Your comparison

February or January?

Overnight stays are 15% of the busiest month.

National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest well below usual. No measured regional room rate is available.

Read the January guide →
February compared with another month
Typical conditionsFebruaryJanuary
Afternoons50°F48°F
Nights38°F37°F
Sea49°F49°F
Rain days1413
Visitor seasonLow seasonLow season
Overall / 103.03.0
Month rank#10#9
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January3.0#948°F37°F49°F131.0Low season
February3.0#1050°F38°F49°F141.0Low season
March3.1#852°F38°F49°F111.1Low season
April4.4#556°F40°F50°F92.5Moderate season
May5.1#461°F44°F53°F93.7Moderate season
June5.3#266°F49°F57°F114.8Moderate season
July5.2#368°F52°F60°F95.5Busy season
August4.2#767°F52°F60°F105.3Peak season
September5.5#164°F50°F60°F114.3Low season
October4.3#658°F47°F57°F132.3Moderate season
November3.0#1152°F42°F54°F141.0Low season
December3.0#1250°F40°F52°F151.0Low season

Near here

Nearby places in February

Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.

Elsewhere in Europe

Better February weather than The south of Ireland

The south of Ireland's weather ranks 63 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside Ireland have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with The south of Ireland.

All of Ireland in February · Everywhere in February

How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details

It's low season, 17% of the busiest month and 59% below its average month. That means about 17,000 overnight visitors on a typical February night across the region, 70% of them from Ireland itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 2,900 more: 16 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100)35
How our weather was checked29 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.1°C), night lows within 1°F (0.7°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day10
Busiest month hereAugust · 59
Visitors as share of people present1.0%
Rank among Europe's regions this month64th percentile
Domestic share of nights70%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights16
Visitor share if every platform night were extra1.1%
National hotel-price seasonIreland historical 2024–2025 index: Well below usual (−11% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used1.8 million
Statistical regionIE05 · Southern

Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national. Full method · this region's data.