[Danno]

Looking at the weather today, I expected a re-run of that famous night in 1985 when Ireland was blitzed by lightning. It almost came off, as most of the Shannon region was hit today.

Anyone with memories of that famous night? I would love to hear them! Please post!

[aidan_dunne]

Yeah, I do. Remember it well, in fact.

All that day the sky had been threatening thunderstorms. The sky was one of those hazy dark grey colour schemes, kind of similar to what we had this afternoon here in Portlaoise, actually, and it was woeful dead and heavy all day long. My whole family had been out on my grandfather's farm that day as they were bringing in some of the hay and we were helping out. When we came back into the house for our tea about 6/6.30, the sky started to get even darker than it had been all day. By the time we left the farm and were driving back home into town the place was nearly pitch black and this was only at about 9 o' clock. On the way home in the car the lightning started and scared the shíte out of myself and my little sister. The thunder and lightning that night was the worse I have ever seen in this country and I'll never forget it.

Though as I recall, and correct me somebody if I'm wrong here, but didn't we actually have a few bad days of thunderstorms then, it wasn't just the one night? I seem to remember it going on for a couple of days at least around here anyway. Not continuously, but it seemed that we'd get some thunder and lightning at some stage every day for a few days at that time. I seem to recall the whole thing lasting across the country for nearly a week or something and remember seeing spectacular pictures on the news of the lightning different parts of the country were getting on different nights over that period and pictures of ESB crews having to repair lines all over the place. I do remember the weather forecasters saying something about it being one of the most unusual weather patterns we'd ever seen in this country, some kind of thundery weather system that seemed to have almost "parked" itself, for want of a better word, right over the country and stayed over us and stayed intensely active for several days. Am I right in thinking all that happened?

[Danno]

I don't know about it lasting for a few days, as I was quite young. However, I do remember a similar night, though not as severe on September 30th in 1985.

[solas]

I remember it vividly. I was ten and my father had left for America the previous day, he was going to be working there for six weeks and it was the first time I he was away from home for so long. The storms started that night and I'll never forget it, even my mother was terrified, we were all in her bed. And ye..they went on for a couple of days. I remember because we couldnt answer the fone, my father hadn't a clue what was going on, had been trying to get in touch with us for almost three days.

fraky freaky freaky. Is one of my more vivid childhood memories..and I'm still terrified of thunder.

[Overlord]

yeah saw this thread and had to post.
I was eleven. My uncle was driving my brother and sister and me home from my cousins house in kilkenny city. Think my grandma was in the car too. If anyone knows the road to callan. theres a patch of road before cuffesgrange that had just been put in at the time. No ditches on the road to block your view. I remember thinking that i couldn't look anywhere 360 degrees around me without seeing a lightning strike. Like i couldnt avoid seeing multiple strikes everywhere for the whole trip from kilkenny to callan. thats about 15 mins. It was _that_ active. Truly unforgettable and very scary.

[Newshound]

I remember it well.
Myself and my sister were daring each other to go out and sit on the swing.
I was getting a bit brave and stayed on the swing pretending i wasnt scared.
Next thing the tree at the end of the garden exploded with the loudest bang i ever heard in my life.
I didnt pretend anymore.
Straight to bed and under the covers.

[Danno]

Wonder will we ever see the likes again?

Does it go down as the worst thunderstorm ever in Ireland?

[darkman2]

Does anyone know if Ireland ever had a super cell storm? Ive never heard of it happening in my lifetime and we really dont have the conditions nessecary but still freak weather does happen! Anyone any idea?

[Snowbie]

Posts merged with this thread

Originally Posted by darkman2

Does anyone know if Ireland ever had a super cell storm? Ive never heard of it happening in my lifetime and we really dont have the conditions nessecary but still freak weather does happen! Anyone any idea?

July 15/16th 1985,there was a supercell over Dublin,frequent lightning and went on all of the night.Flooding,power outages the works.Actually it was documented on the news the next day on RTE and talked about for a long time.Still comes up in the odd conversation from a few people.

It was forecasted too by Gerald Fleming with his stick pointing at the old chart on the wall.I have been to a good few places on the planet a saw a lot of storms and in fairness nothing has come close to this and it was in my back yard nor did i see the likes of it since here.Frightning stuff i might add.

[Black Briar]

Originally Posted by Snowbie

July 15/16th 1985,there was a supercell over Dublin,frequent lightning and went on all of the night.Flooding,power outages the works.Actually it was documented on the news the next day on RTE and talked about for a long time.Still comes up in the odd conversation from a few people.

It was forecasted too by Gerald Fleming with his stick pointing at the old chart on the wall.I have been to a good few places on the planet a saw a lot of storms and in fairness nothing has come close to this and it was in my back yard nor did i see the likes of it since here.Frightning stuff i might add.

Try walking from Croke park to Goatstown in the middle of that.
I was at the simple minds concert
It's rare that you see power outages from lightning in Dublin.The forks were coming down all over the place.
They looked fantastic as we passed RTÉ.
It only started to rain just as we got to the door and boy did it pour - all night and all the next day!
That had been a hot day in dublin - possibly high 20's.

[Trogdor]

Can't see much here atm Tristrame, alot of low cloud around. For some reason, I nearly always get hit with alot of showers in a North-Westerly flow. Hopefully the same this time.
The outlook for today is pretty good alright!
http://www.ukweatherworld.co.uk/foru...13916&posts=20
There was a big long thread about the Northern Ireland supercell last year on UKWW but i can't find it. Here's a pic on torro
http://www.torro.org.uk/TORRO/php/ph...id=454&start=0
EDIT: found that thread
http://www.ukweatherworld.co.uk/foru...d=3554&start=1

[darkman2]

Originally Posted by Snowbie

July 15/16th 1985,there was a supercell over Dublin,frequent lightning and went on all of the night.Flooding,power outages the works.Actually it was documented on the news the next day on RTE and talked about for a long time.Still comes up in the odd conversation from a few people.

It was forecasted too by Gerald Fleming with his stick pointing at the old chart on the wall.I have been to a good few places on the planet a saw a lot of storms and in fairness nothing has come close to this and it was in my back yard nor did i see the likes of it since here.Frightning stuff i might add.

ERM......I know it happened but you must have your dates mixed up:

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive...0219850715.gif

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive...0119850715.gif

Those charts definately would not produce large thunderstorms and Tristame, if it is the correct date, there is no way temperatures were even in the high teens never mind the high twenties I think the dates are mixed up. It must have been a different date.

[Snowbie]

Originally Posted by darkman2

ERM......I know it happened but you must have your dates mixed up:

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive...0219850715.gif

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive...0119850715.gif

Those charts definately would not produce large thunderstorms and Tristame, if it is the correct date, there is no way temperatures were even in the high teens never mind the high twenties I think the dates are mixed up. It must have been a different date.

Right DM,its defo July as my brother got a dog for his birthday and thats the 10th,(but maybe we picked it up on the 15th).Try around the week after the 10th.
Like its only 22years ago,please forgive mine and Tristrame's memory,were not as young as you.
or else if Tristrame remembers the concert date he went too ahem SIMPLE MINDS,should be exact then.

[Black Briar]

google simple minds croke park that should do it.

It was 1986 snowbie that I remember and it was towards the end of june and it was the day before the world cup final of that year iirc so theres a better google.

[darkman2]

More likely it was 86 looking at the charts. Specifically toward the end of June between the 26th and 30th would have been very hot:

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive...0219860627.gif

I will take a guess and say the 27th?

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive...0119860627.gif

Seems most likely to me