normal service resumed

snaps

Give me that coldish high blocked easterly flow any time over this. The ground last week was rock solid, now its a bog once again. Garden currently flooded. Yes its milder, but that's the only positive.

km79

snaps wrote: »

Give me that coldish high blocked easterly flow any time over this. The ground last week was rock solid, now its a bog once again. Garden currently flooded. Yes its milder, but that's the only positive.

I'm waiting to see a farmer on the news complaining about the effect of the constant rain ......I can't understand why people on Ireland pray for rain. There is nothing more certain. It will rain ......and rain.....-and rain

sunbabe08

i miss the cold dry weather. come back.

snaps

what i miss most is being able to hang the washing out on the line. put washing out the other day and it got blown all over the garden.

dopolahpec

Rose tinted glasses lads. During a large part of that blocked regime, we had Gale force easterly winds, we had rain events that lasted for 30 hours in Dublin as slow moving fronts stalled against the block dumping their rain load over southern and eastern Ireland and snow in the UK. 20th - 21st March anyone? And endless days of grey cloud. We had plants refusing to bud, or grow as they should be, even now they are just catching up. And I don't know but in Dublin at least we have had some fine weather intermittently in the last few days.

Rock Lesnar

ah lads ye cant have it every way .

Personally i could'nt believe people on here complaining about the cold especially when the sun was shining every day with not a cloud in the sky, yes it was bitterly cold but it was'nt fecking raining :mad:, ive seen enough rain this past winter to last me a life time, and (excuse the pun) it can p1ss right off as quick as it can today.

Give me cold dry and sunny days anytime.

Elmer Blooker

dopolahpec wrote: »

Rose tinted glasses lads. During a large part of that blocked regime, we had Gale force easterly winds, we had rain events that lasted for 30 hours in Dublin as slow moving fronts stalled against the block dumping their rain load over southern and eastern Ireland and snow in the UK. 20th - 21st March anyone? And endless days of grey cloud. We had plants refusing to bud, or grow as they should be, even now they are just catching up. And I don't know but in Dublin at least we have had some fine weather intermittently in the last few days.

endless days of grey cloud? Easter weekend was stunning! I'll never forget the view from the summit of Howth Head, the Wicklow mts and the Mournes were stunning under deep snow (the result of a 30 hour event ) in strong sunshine and brilliant blue skies. Plants are just a bit late and will catch up as if the coldest March since 1962 never happened!
Charts like this do nothing for me.

snaps

weather was lovely here, wind wasn't too bad, back garden was sheltered anyway from the wind. It was cloudy sometimes, but most of the time sunny.

Larbre34

We needed this badly. The grass out my way was as burnt by the raw east wind as it looked after the long snow spells in 09 and 10. Farm and garden growth was a long way behind, some good warm and damp will get it back up to date soon

mike65

Shut up ya moaners! We actually need this rain and it wont last. Friday will see everything settle down for a little while.

Harps

March was twice as wet as normal in the East, the cloudiest in 17 years and consistently too cold to leave the house without layers of winter clothing, not to mention it cost a fortune in heating the house. Add to that the fact that we're 7 weeks into spring and there's still not a single leaf on most trees and the grass is all brown and is not hard to see why people wanted the spell to end

I didn't mind it too much, the dry weather was nice to have but ill take a week of rain to bring nature back to life over a continuation of winter for a 6th month in a row

Joe Public

snaps wrote: »

what i miss most is being able to hang the washing out on the line. put washing out the other day and it got blown all over the garden.

You need good quality clothes pegs and not the ones out of the €2 shop.

dopolahpec

Harps wrote: »

March was twice as wet as normal in the East, the cloudiest in 17 years and consistently too cold to leave the house without layers of winter clothing, not to mention it cost a fortune in heating the house. Add to that the fact that we're 7 weeks into spring and there's still not a single leaf on most trees and the grass is all brown and is not hard to see why people wanted the spell to end

I didn't mind it too much, the dry weather was nice to have but ill take a week of rain to bring nature back to life over a continuation of winter for a 6th month in a row

Yeah, I'm struggling to understand how the cold spell has been reinvented as sunny?

mike65

The cold spell was sunniest in the west/north west I think, the east/south was pretty dull.

Solair

Cold spells are really miserable for a lot of people who live in less well insulated homes, old people, etc

Heating bills were astronomical and extended way beyond normal peak heating season too which isn't nice for the household budget.

It also cost the state money in additional heating allowances for old people and increased health costs not to mention the cost to agriculture in terms of lost sheep in the north !

Farmers also haven't been able to use grazing land effectively as there's been no grass growth and that had implications for food costs.

Lots of reasons to complain!

rc28

I have no idea where people are getting the notion that March was a sunny month. It was an incredibly gloomy cold period with constant easterly chilly winds. Only towards the start of April do I remember some properly sunny days and even then they were freezing in the wind.

Btw for the poster above; Easter Sunday was totally cloudy for most of the country apart from the very extreme coastal fringes such as howth and dalkey - I remember vividly traveling from Kildare to Dunlaoghaire that day and being surprised to see clear blue skies over the Irish sea.

Joe Public

Look on the bright side - the cherry blossoms are only coming out properly now, the daffodils went into a state of suspension and are now in fine bloom, fruit trees that blossomed too early last year and then got hit are only beginning to bud now so the fruit crop may be good this year, the dry run of weather is good for farming and the level of ground moisture is not bad for golf either.

Elmer Blooker

Solair wrote: »

Cold spells are really miserable for a lot of people who live in less well insulated homes, old people, etc

Heating bills were astronomical and extended way beyond normal peak heating season too which isn't nice for the household budget.

It also cost the state money in additional heating allowances for old people and increased health costs not to mention the cost to agriculture in terms of lost sheep in the north !

Farmers also haven't been able to use grazing land effectively as there's been no grass growth and that had implications for food costs.

Lots of reasons to complain!

I don't get it? It never gets cold in Ireland compared with countries at a similar latitude (Jan & Dec '10 were exceptions) We have hardly any snow cover for our latitude because of the Gulf Stream.
There will always be excuses to hike up the price of food - I've heard 'em all, too wet, too dry, drought in Russia etc etc. The price of food is like oil, it will always go up and never down ....... profit.
As for grass growth, Holland and Denmark are renowned for their very efficient dairy industry yet have much longer winters than we do.
The losses of sheep in the north was tragic but didn't they know blizzard conditions were forecast for high ground? I did.
edit: my gas bill arrived the other day, I was almost too frightened to open it but I was pleasantly surprised when it was no higher than normal.

Danno

Joe Public wrote: »

Look on the bright side - the cherry blossoms are only coming out properly now,...

Only in bud stage here...

Joe Public

Give it another few days.

Pangea

Certainly strange to see the rain back, but cant really complain, we got a good run of dry weather.
On the traditional calender there is only two weeks left of spring , sure the plants needn bother growing now, not worth their while. :eek:

fits

I was home in Ireland for a week at Easter and was really looking forward to seeing some Spring as I live in Finland. But it was the same weather and temperature. Its actually warmer here now than it was in Ireland when I was home. There was no grass for the animals at home... and they never run out of grass. Thankfully we had extra fodder, lucky in that regard.

Rikand

rc28 wrote: »

I have no idea where people are getting the notion that March was a sunny month. It was an incredibly gloomy cold period with constant easterly chilly winds. Only towards the start of April do I remember some properly sunny days and even then they were freezing in the wind.

Btw for the poster above; Easter Sunday was totally cloudy for most of the country apart from the very extreme coastal fringes such as howth and dalkey - I remember vividly traveling from Kildare to Dunlaoghaire that day and being surprised to see clear blue skies over the Irish sea.

yes. because Ireland only extends a few miles outside Dublin... on either side

Elmer Blooker

Rickylovesuall wrote: »

yes. because Ireland only extends a few miles outside Dublin... on either side

:eek: <--- thats a very big yawn by the way.
I seem to remember admiring brilliant satellite images and the whole country was cloudless and not just a "few miles outside Dublin... on either side" ??
What I remember was the snow cover in Wicklow, the Mournes, the Antrim mts, the Sperrins and a blob just NW of Belfast (which I think is Divis Mountain? ) standing out in the strong spring sunshine.

Joe Public

Just check Met eireann's monthly report for March

http://www.met.ie/climate/MonthlyWeather/clim-2013-Mar.pdf


Above average sunshine in March for West and Southwest and below elsewhere.

mike65

Lovely day! (when the sun is out, chilly when its cloudy)

snaps

mike65 wrote: »

Lovely day! (when the sun is out, chilly when its cloudy)

absolutely peachy!

Harps

Elmer Blooker wrote: »

:eek: <--- thats a very big yawn by the way.
I seem to remember admiring brilliant satellite images and the whole country was cloudless and not just a "few miles outside Dublin... on either side" ??
What I remember was the snow cover in Wicklow, the Mournes, the Antrim mts, the Sperrins and a blob just NW of Belfast (which I think is Divis Mountain? ) standing out in the strong spring sunshine.

Not on Easter Sunday anyway, 100% cloud cover bar a few miles either side of Dublin!

rc28

Harps wrote: »

Not on Easter Sunday anyway, 100% cloud cover bar a few miles either side of Dublin!

Cheers for that! As I said it was only sunny out over the Irish sea and the coastal fringes.

Oneiric 3

Elmer Blooker wrote: »

:eek: <--- thats a very big yawn by the way.
I seem to remember admiring brilliant satellite images and the whole country was cloudless and not just a "few miles outside Dublin... on either side" ??

Easter Sunday; visible; 1pm.

Elmer Blooker

I can still see a patch of snow on the mountains - fancy that after after a week of temperatures between 14 - 17c !!

blackbird99

last bit of snow vanished weds night on the galtees

Supercell

March had 78.5 hours sun here in Loughlinstown versus average 111 . It was a pretty dull month.

DOCARCH

Obvioulsy normal service has resumed! This is the first post on the weather forum in 24 hours!!! :eek: Last post was MTs forecast yesterday morning.
Can't remember the last time I saw that? :P

Normal service light rain here this morning.

Rikand

beautiful sunshine here today - the rollercoaster that is Irelands summer has begun!

Tom Cruises Left Nut

Sunshine and then downpours is the order of the day here

Elmer Blooker

DOCARCH wrote: »

Obvioulsy normal service has resumed! This is the first post on the weather forum in 24 hours!!!

normal service alright, don't expect to see the sun shine for days on end in this useless gloomy climate that we have the misfortune to endure. :mad:
goodbye.

Larbre34

I don't think so, today after about 2pm should be bright with some sunshine in most places and feel warm and humid out in a moderate breeze. A month ago we'd have hopped on that!

dopolahpec

Larbre34 wrote: »

I don't think so, today after about 2pm should be bright with some sunshine in most places and feel warm and humid out in a moderate breeze. A month ago we'd have hopped on that!

Yeah it's not so bad, but there's a forecast cold snap on the way. Which will mean below average temperatures and hail showers no doubt, and depending on winds some frost too. I hope it is shortlived.

mike65

Sun now out and its quite mild even close

snaps

mike65 wrote: »

Sun now out and its quite mild even close

Ive got a reading of 17.9c in the back garden. Even the wind feels warm.

Larbre34

The 3pm reports from Cork look 'pure daycent'

Overcast but bright here in Dun Laoghaire, breezy yet muggy at 15C. Watch for the garden growth to go bonkers this week....

Solair

Elmer Blooker wrote: »

I don't get it? It never gets cold in Ireland compared with countries at a similar latitude (Jan & Dec '10 were exceptions) We have hardly any snow cover for our latitude because of the Gulf Stream.
There will always be excuses to hike up the price of food - I've heard 'em all, too wet, too dry, drought in Russia etc etc. The price of food is like oil, it will always go up and never down ....... profit.
As for grass growth, Holland and Denmark are renowned for their very efficient dairy industry yet have much longer winters than we do.
The losses of sheep in the north was tragic but didn't they know blizzard conditions were forecast for high ground? I did.
edit: my gas bill arrived the other day, I was almost too frightened to open it but I was pleasantly surprised when it was no higher than normal.

---

Well, you'll find in a country like Ireland where farming practices, buildings, infrastructure, life styles are all adapted for a temperate oceanic climate that expects a lot of damp weather, that any interruption to this pattern is a big problem.

If you're prepared for long, cold, hard winters, then you'll survive. If you're not, you'll find major problems occur.

During the big cold snap a few years ago, many Irish and British heating systems simply couldn't cope due to things like relying on a continuous supply of mains water (which froze solid) for combi-boilers which have become very common place.

We even had houses flooded and destroyed because rather bizarrely in the UK and Ireland we have a huge cistern of water in the attic. That's totally unheard of elsewhere in Europe, the US etc.

If we're going to have more extreme weather more often, we're going to have to make some adaptations to our buildings, infrastructure, heating systems, farming practices, water storage infrastructure etc.

That being said, the price of food does go up and down depending on these climatic factors. We are very exposed to climate change as a species, much like any other species. We've just become a bit arrogant about it.
They're not excuses, crops fail, grazing lands get frozen, land floods, winter goes on for too long, droughts happen.

At least in the developed world that just means your cornflakes are a few cent dearer or whatever. If you're in a developing country, that could mean no dinner for months.


---

I think the last few years have shown us how vulnerable Ireland is to even relatively minor climate change. We absolutely need to be hardening our infrastructure to it!

I'd argue that all carbon tax etc, should go directly into such projects.

cherryghost

I wouldn't be surprised at all if somewhere hits 20 tomorrow.

MidMan25

Stunning in Cork today, as a poster mentioned above, the wind was actually warm!

pad199207

cherryghost wrote: »

I wouldn't be surprised at all if somewhere hits 20 tomorrow.

Id say Wicklow and Kilkenny are favored spots!

Supercell

16.1 C here currently and rising, a mini foehn clearly in effect, very nice outside.

mike65

Fecking lovely out! All over tomorrow though :mad:

dopolahpec

It's only grand sure...lovely to see the plants coming to life the last few days...very quickly too.

dopolahpec

Elmer Blooker wrote: »

normal service alright, don't expect to see the sun shine for days on end in this useless gloomy climate that we have the misfortune to endure. :mad:
goodbye.

Why take such a pessimistic view? It certainly isn't gloomy today

Supercell

Certainly not cloudy here today !