Worst Irish summer ?

mud_raker

Jpmarn wrote: »

Yes farmers had a dire time in 1985 and 1980 where the only choice of winter fodder was to dry out the grass (hay) or ensiling into a big pit (silage). This silage was not on for the majority of farms. It was popular with larger farms with free draining soils. The machinery used with get stuck on heavier land. For hay it was made with a lot of difficulty and was of very poor quality. In the late 80s and early 90s round or big bale silage became popular and is a solution to the majority of farms in our changeable summer weather.

most tractors were two wheel drive in 1985 and you would be doing well to bring in twenty acres of silage in a day , big outfits can easily manage fifty acres per day now and small farms go with bales

like I said , even you look at the statistics , several years from 2002 ( which was also wetter than 1985 ) to 2012 were worse than 1985 , 2008 was worse and 2009 was bad too , 2012 has no equal so far in terms of volume which fell

mud_raker

ComfortKid wrote: »

2007. The summer with Rihannas umbrella song. 06 was one of our best summers along with 2013

great summers I can remember

1989 ( very good )
1993 ( fairly good )
1995 ( best ever by a mile )
2003 ( special Olympics was on in Ireland )
2006 ( july was exceptional , world cup in Germany was on )
2013 ( best since 1995 )
2014 ( fantastic and while not as good as 2013 , the autumn was better than 2013 , weather stayed very good until November )

Schadenfreudia

mud_raker wrote: »

great summers I can remember

There's a whole thread on the best summers!

We are looking for the worst here

Schadenfreudia

mud_raker wrote: »

well I am a ( part time ) farmer , I bought a farm in 2012 and could not find one day in august of 2012 to plough , it rained every single day and after starting to plough one field around the fifteenth of august , we had to stop for nearly three week , I got one good week from around the third of septmeber to the tenth to get the work done , then it rained again for six months , spring 2013 was easily the worst spring on record and you wont find a farmer who disagrees

You must be in the wrong part of the country

August 2012 here was very average; slightly milder and dryer than usual - according to the Phoenix Park station, which generally gives the closest match to my station.

Jpmarn

August was the best of the three summer months in 2012. But August the average temperature was near normal with rainfall just above. June and July were much wetter and cooler with average temperature at Shannon Airport about 2c below normal.

JM Skipton

Jpmarn wrote: »

August was the best of the three summer months in 2012. But August the average temperature was near normal with rainfall just above. June and July were much wetter and cooler with average temperature at Shannon Airport about 2c below normal.

August unfortunately has been the problem child of summers since 1995, with the exception of 2003 we have had either average or shocking Augusts since, even 2013,which is remembered as a very good summer, had an extremely average August.

JCX BXC

2012 was a terrible year.

20silkcut

Yes can't understand the ambiguity about 2012 considering it was so recent. It was an horrendously bad summer with no redeeming features. It was so bad we had to import forage from uk and the continent the following spring which even the oldest farmers never remember happening before.

Farms were not as heavily stocked in 1985 either.

Schadenfreudia

20silkcut wrote: »

Yes can't understand the ambiguity about 2012 considering it was so recent.

I think we are only haggling about August, which was just an average month.

20silkcut

Schadenfreudia wrote: »

I think we are only haggling about August, which was just an average month.

If I remember correctly there was a heat wave forecast in mid to late august 2012 and MT cranium being confounded when despite all meteorological pointers being positive it failed miserably to materialise and just became three or four days that rained less with above average temperatures.
I remember one particular day in mid July the news at one led with the weather and Sean o rourke describing it as "rotten summer weather" .
Almost every week that summer the farmers journal headlined a weather story and tucked in the middle of the paper they had archive pics of sunny summers long ago just to really drive home what a bad bad summer it was.
IMO it was without doubt game set and match the worst summer in my living memory which also includes 1985.
At least we had the epic thunder in 85.

Schadenfreudia

20silkcut wrote: »

IMO it was without doubt game set and match the worst summer in my living memory which also includes 1985.
At least we had the epic thunder in 85.

Alas the statistics don't support you - '85 was worse by a wide margin!

And it was 1986, not 1985, which gave the epic lightening storm.....

smokie72

1986 did have a thunderstorm in late June. It was the weekend of the World cup finals and I remember Jimmy Mcgee mentioning that there were electrical storms in Ireland that were interverning with the reception of the 3rd place play off. It was also the evening Simple Minds played in Croke Park. That was a thunderstorm to remember but the daddy of them all was in 1985 (25th/26th July). That was an epic storm that I will never forget til the day I die and I thought I would that night!

2012 was a dire summer alright but for me 2007,2008,2009 and 2011 were very poor too. I was working on a golf course during the summers of 07 and 08 and I just remember been wet and cold most of the time. It was such a change from 2006 that it was hard to comprehend. Those bad summers also tied in with the start of the recession as well. It seemed the good times were over.

Abhainn

Echo most here that 1985 was absolutely cat, well especially in Sligo. 1986 only slightly better

We "recked" hay then and had to mix salt with it so the cows would eat it.
Turned out then that Oct was the best Oct in decades. Managed to save most of the turf then and while it was dry all the goodness in it was gone.

Abhainn

Echo most here that 1985 was absolutely cat, well especially in Sligo. 1986 only slightly better

We "recked" hay then and had to mix salt with it so the cows would eat it.
Turned out then that Oct was the best Oct in decades. Managed to save most of the turf then and while it was dry all the goodness in it was gone.

brighterdays

Might be a bit premature but I'm saying this one we're currently in. The temps might be alright, but it's overcast 80% of the time. There hasn't been a blue sky in Limerick since last Friday. Only rain and clouds. It's awful. If it's not the worst, it's definitely close enough.

syklops

brighterdays wrote: »

Might be a bit premature but I'm saying this one we're currently in. The temps might be alright, but it's overcast 80% of the time. There hasn't been a blue sky in Limerick since last Friday. Only rain and clouds. It's awful. If it's not the worst, it's definitely close enough.

Close enough being the operative phrase. Today isnt so bad, but yesterday was horrible.

syklops

This thread reminds of this:

road_high

brighterdays wrote: »

Might be a bit premature but I'm saying this one we're currently in. The temps might be alright, but it's overcast 80% of the time. There hasn't been a blue sky in Limerick since last Friday. Only rain and clouds. It's awful. If it's not the worst, it's definitely close enough.

No feckin way! I actually think it's been pretty damn good so far. Here in the south east anyhow, the whole month of June was virtually dry. Even the past few days haven't been too bad. Today started off dull but a lot of the mid-day and afternoon were warm and sunny. Which has been a typical pattern for many of the days. We've had some cracking sunshine in June especially. Parts of May were good too.
Maybe it's been like that in the west and mid-west but definitely not in the East and South east.
There's loads and loads of hay saved around and I always see that as a barometer of good weather as it's impossible to save without some sunshine, dry weather and a little wind!

seamusk84

I was a caddy as a teenager and invariably spent the summers outdoors. I remember 1998 I got wet a hell of a lot!
Anyone else remember that a washout that Summer was?

syklops

road_high wrote: »

No feckin way! I actually think it's been pretty damn good so far. Here in the south east anyhow, the whole month of June was virtually dry. Even the past few days haven't been too bad. Today started off dull but a lot of the mid-day and afternoon were warm and sunny. Which has been a typical pattern for many of the days. We've had some cracking sunshine in June especially. Parts of May were good too.
Maybe it's been like that in the west and mid-west but definitely not in the East and South east.
There's loads and loads of hay saved around and I always see that as a barometer of good weather as it's impossible to save without some sunshine, dry weather and a little wind!

In the sunny south east? In Leinster it has been warm, overcast and close, with rain occasional and sometimes plenty.

Even in a small country like Ireland different parts of the country experience difference kinds of weather. So dont come on here with your south east coast, jayze tiz feckin brilliant weather, carry on. In Leinster, Meath, Westmeath, Galway the last week or so has not been good with overcast, warm but really clammy weather with heavy breezes in most areas.

road_high

syklops wrote: »

In the sunny south east? In Leinster it has been warm, overcast and close, with rain occasional and sometimes plenty.

Even in a small country like Ireland different parts of the country experience difference kinds of weather. So dont come on here with your south east coast, jayze tiz feckin brilliant weather, carry on. In Leinster, Meath, Westmeath, Galway the last week or so has not been good with overcast, warm but really clammy weather with heavy breezes in most areas.

OK chill....seriously . I know this boards and for some bizarre reason full of posters that go out of their way to contradict everyone but I actually work outdoors nearly every other day so if it was sh!te I'd say if it was.
It has been warm, close but with some good sunshine a hell of a lot of the time. The past week has seen a disimprovement but certainly not dire.
There's people on here talking about having their heating on today...I was outside and got sunburned. And most of the south east is in Leinster too, where I live and work.
May wasn't great overall with some exceptions, June was a cracking month, July started off a mixed bag...

Mayo_Boy

brighterdays wrote: »

Might be a bit premature but I'm saying this one we're currently in. The temps might be alright, but it's overcast 80% of the time. There hasn't been a blue sky in Limerick since last Friday. Only rain and clouds. It's awful. If it's not the worst, it's definitely close enough.

I agree. This time last year was miles better in the west of the country anyhow.

Schadenfreudia

road_high wrote: »

We've had some cracking sunshine in June especially. Parts of May were good too.
Maybe it's been like that in the west and mid-west but definitely not in the East and South east.
There's loads and loads of hay saved around and I always see that as a barometer of good weather as it's impossible to save without some sunshine, dry weather and a little wind!

Indeed and today is lovely, sunny, breezy, dry and 21.5C - after a couple of cool days (though even yesterday was sunny)!

It must, however, be possible to mutually accept, for it is a simple fact, that we have had a better-than-average summer so far in Dublin and along the East coast south of it; while parts of the West and NW have had a terrible summer.

Actually, that state of affairs is not unusual, and there is no point in getting annoyed about it.

road_high

Schadenfreudia wrote: »

Indeed and today is lovely, sunny, breezy, dry and 21.5C - after a couple of cool days (though even yesterday was sunny)!

It must, however, be possible to mutually accept, for it is a simple fact, that we have had a better-than-average summer so far in Dublin and along the East coast south of it; while parts of the West and NW have had a terrible summer.

Actually, that state of affairs is not unusual, and there is no point in getting annoyed about it.

Yea apart from a lot of crap in May, this summer has been reasonable. I've noticed a lot of the days seem to start off dull in the south East but the afternoons and evenings have been really sunny. Today is a bit dull, but again it's dry and pleasant.

syklops

road_high wrote: »

OK chill....seriously . I know this boards and for some bizarre reason full of posters that go out of their way to contradict everyone but I actually work outdoors nearly every other day so if it was sh!te I'd say if it was.
It has been warm, close but with some good sunshine a hell of a lot of the time. The past week has seen a disimprovement but certainly not dire.
There's people on here talking about having their heating on today...I was outside and got sunburned. And most of the south east is in Leinster too, where I live and work.
May wasn't great overall with some exceptions, June was a cracking month, July started off a mixed bag...

road_high wrote:

Yea apart from a lot of crap in May, this summer has been reasonable. I've noticed a lot of the days seem to start off dull in the south East but the afternoons and evenings have been really sunny. Today is a bit dull, but again it's dry and pleasant.

Im not contradicting you. Here in Dublin its been sh1te. Your location is kilkenny. Where is Kilkenny? Its in the south east.

Schadenfreudia

syklops wrote: »

Im not contradicting you. Here in Dublin its been sh1te. Your location is kilkenny. Where is Kilkenny? Its in the south east.

Where in Dublin has it been "sh1te"? Not in Dublin, Ireland :rolleyes:

Supercell

syklops wrote: »

Im not contradicting you. Here in Dublin its been sh1te. Your location is kilkenny. Where is Kilkenny? Its in the south east.

I'm not contradicting you but it's been anything but sh1te in the south of Dublin. Overall temperatures last month were average, which was impressive as the first week was very cool, but the last three were above average. Rainfall is well below average and sun is about normal or slightly above.
The last week hasn't quite matched up to the end of June but its still been pretty good overall, while there has been rain its not been wet all day on any day. If all summers were like this one so far I'd be delighted.

road_high

Schadenfreudia wrote: »

Where in Dublin has it been "sh1te"? Not in Dublin, Ireland :rolleyes:

I'm often in Dublin or close. Any day I've been it's been cracking this summer. And Dublin sits just above the South East !!

road_high

Supercell wrote: »

I'm not contradicting you but it's been anything but sh1te in the south of Dublin. Overall temperatures last month were average, which was impressive as the first week was very cool, but the last three were above average. Rainfall is well below average and sun is about normal or slightly above.
The last week hasn't quite matched up to the end of June but its still been pretty good overall, while there has been rain its not been wet all day on any day. If all summers were like this one so far I'd be delighted.

That's this summer for me in a nutshell. Not as warm as July 2013 or anything but still very pleasant, dry and calm with some lovely sunny days.

syklops

In the words of Duncan Bannatyne, Im out.