donegal in the winter

mollybird

hi,
looking to head around donegal/sligo area maybe for new years eve and wondering could anyone tell me what the weather is like around that area that time of year?? i know the country has gotten alot of snow the past 2 years and guess i'm trying to cover the basis for the worst sceanario. we will be coming from dublin so if i think it would be a hard enough drive least i can prepare for it.

thanks

bohsboy

If its anything like the last two winters it will be horrendous with day time temperatures of about -4C. Its tough driving, with the main roads barely passable.

Sorry to be so grim but it was very very bad last year.

NIMAN

If if if.

No-one knows for sure what the weather around NY's will be like.

And from all the media reports the last couple of years, the rest of the country fared no better than Donegal in the bad snap. If its -15 or -18 then its going to be bad anywhere.

Cee-Jay-Cee

If you have a 4x4 or a set of good snow/winter tyres then you should have no problems. I think theyre better prepared this year and all main routes should be a lot clearer than last year. With all the snow we had last year there was not a single day where i wasnt able to get to work or where ever i was going to and i dont have a 4x4 nor had i snow tyres but i do this year (the tyres that is!)

alchemist33

It won't be much different from Co Louth, frankly. In fact, in a cold snap, probably slightly warmer with our Atlantic exposure.

There a couple of stretches to avoid in the snow, but most main roads will stay open.

Deer Hunter DL

bohsboy wrote: »

If its anything like the last two winters it will be horrendous with day time temperatures of about -4C. Its tough driving, with the main roads barely passable.

Sorry to be so grim but it was very very bad last year.

lol your a bit of a drama queen

some roads are a little tricky alright but if you have winter tires on witch you should have from mid Oct onward you'll be fine just keep a cool head (no pun intended lol ) and use common sense

irishpal25

Deer Hunter DL wrote: »

lol your a bit of a drama queen

some roads are a little tricky alright but if you have winter tires on witch you should have from mid Oct onward you'll be fine just keep a cool head (no pun intended lol ) and use common sense

Yeah I had winter tires on last year and it was easy to get around as long as you were careful

yourpics

no need for winter tyres, if you have a decent set of tyres that are relatively new you will be fine. Just be careful driving, don't make any sudden movements, nice and gentle!

NIMAN

Whats the chances of hundreds/thousands of people going out and buying snow tyres, only for us to have a decent enough winter?

Here's hoping.

Kategill

also trick I heard..if you have a rear wheel drive ...merc or bmw provided you have decent thread on the rear wheels , put 2 cement blocks in boot...will help add weight to rear axle and give you better grip... might be wives tale but kinda makes sense

paulmclaughlin

Kategill wrote: »

also trick I heard..if you have a rear wheel drive ...merc or bmw provided you have decent thread on the rear wheels , put 2 cement blocks in boot...will help add weight to rear axle and give you better grip... might be wives tale but kinda makes sense

BMW and Mercedes do not make good snow driving cars. Wider tires means they do not cut through the snow as efficiently as a thinner tire. But that tip does seem make sense. Although you're pulling a greater weight up hills, etc.

yourpics

Kategill wrote: »

also trick I heard..if you have a rear wheel drive ...merc or bmw provided you have decent thread on the rear wheels , put 2 cement blocks in boot...will help add weight to rear axle and give you better grip... might be wives tale but kinda makes sense

Yes this is true, i used to put 2 bags of coal in the boot of the Sierra years ago

Deer Hunter DL

yourpics wrote: »

Yes this is true, i used to put 2 bags of coal in the boot of the Orion years ago

A Ford Orion ? these are FWD are they not ?

Deer Hunter DL

yourpics wrote: »

no need for winter tyres, if you have a decent set of tyres that are relatively new you will be fine. Just be careful driving, don't make any sudden movements, nice and gentle!

only if they are well siped

yourpics

Deer Hunter DL wrote: »

A Ford Orion ? these are FWD are they not ?

yeah meant to say sierra!

mistermouse

Word has it Donegal has something like 5 times its usual Salt stock piled this year. Up until recent years the County Council looked after their stock of this and in recent years the RSA made a hash of it nationwide but particularly in this part of the country.
If they do have as much as they say, it should be much better this year. I think they invested in more ploughs over the past year or two also, so atleast most main roads should be passable

overshoot

http://www.donegaldaily.com/2011/10/04/breaking-news-snow-on-way-to-donegal-hills-forecasters/
doesnt look like we are going to be waiting til christmas for the snow:(

Harps

A small chance of sleety snow on the top of Errigal is about as bad as it'll get, Donegaldaily is as bad as the Sun when it comes to sensationalism

Broxi_Bear_Eire

Harps wrote: »

A small chance of sleety snow on the top of Errigal is about as bad as it'll get, Donegaldaily is as bad as the Sun when it comes to sensationalism

I know it's slightly off topic buy the DD's writing is a joke

Vinegar Hill

Snow has been forecast to hit the 'Hills of Donegal' this week. This is due to the remnants of Hurricane Ophelia going to meet a cold front here. The weather event is forecast to take place Thursday.

I hope the council is ready this year.

http://www.donegaldaily.com/2011/10/04/breaking-news-snow-on-way-to-donegal-hills-forecasters/

Harps

Already been mentioned in the Donegal in the Winter thread, just a sensationalist article. The forecast they quote was made by our own MT Cranium on the weather forum incidentally

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055579971&page=150

homer simpson

Harps wrote: »

Already been mentioned in the Donegal in the Winter thread, just a sensationalist article. The forecast they quote was made by our own MT Cranium on the weather forum incidentally

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055579971&page=150

Knew I seen it somewhere before

Threads merged.

NIMAN

Certain media sources are saying we are going to have a really bad winter.

I also seen quite a few media sources say we were going to have a heatwave over this past summer.

Thing is, weather in Dec, Jan, Feb cannot be accurately predicted in Oct. Its all guesswork. Of course we get colder weather in those months, and this allows them to have a raised probability of being proved right, but nothing is guaranteed.