Best/Worst Winters in Ireland

nacho libre

Oneiric 3 wrote: »

It is inevitable that we will see severe cold spells in the future. Shorter cold spells often produce more snow than spells that last for weeks or even months.

We are, as you say, likely to see short cold spells that might produce as much snow as December 2010, but having severe cold accompanied by snowy weather that lasts longer than 7 days is quite rare. That's what makes December 2010 stand out for me, as opposed to December 2000 or other snowy periods i can recall.

Summertime8989

From Met.ie Major weather events Nov/Dec 2010 "We would characterise December 2010 as the most extreme cold spell in terms of
the “depth of cold” but the cold spell of 1963 was significantly longer."

Western Ulster recorded the coldest temperatures. Edenfel County Tyrone set the record for Lowest daily max temperature of -11.3 on the 23rd of December while Castlederg recorded -18.7 on Christmas eve. Castlederg also had a negative double digits daily max of -10 on Christmas day and over a period of eight days the highest recorded temperature was -6 while locations in Eastern Ulster faired better temperature wise.

Whilst in the ROI the lowest recorded temperature was -17.5°C in Co. Mayo on 25th and Ballyhaise had the coldest day on record at any station on 21st when the temperature only got up to -9.4°C. Castlederg is 3km from the Donegal border so one could assume that area recorded similar temperatures but no weather station to confirm so -17.5 is coldest recorded temperature for ROI in December 2010.

To echo what Met said "The most extreme in terms of depth of cold"

Harps

Summertime8989 wrote: »

From Met.ie Major weather events Nov/Dec 2010 "We would characterise December 2010 as the most extreme cold spell in terms of
the “depth of cold” but the cold spell of 1963 was significantly longer."

Western Ulster recorded the coldest temperatures. Edenfel County Tyrone set the record for Lowest daily max temperature of -11.3 on the 23rd of December while Castlederg recorded -18.7 on Christmas eve. Castlederg also had a negative double digits daily max of -10 on Christmas day and over a period of eight days the highest recorded temperature was -6 while locations in Eastern Ulster faired better temperature wise.

Whilst in the ROI the lowest recorded temperature was -17.5°C in Co. Mayo on 25th and Ballyhaise had the coldest day on record at any station on 21st when the temperature only got up to -9.4°C. Castlederg is 3km from the Donegal border so one could assume that area recorded similar temperatures but no weather station to confirm so -17.5 is coldest recorded temperature for ROI in December 2010.

To echo what Met said "The most extreme in terms of depth of cold"

It's not an official station but I seen to recall the Kilygordan NRA station showing -18C once or twice during that spell so likely if there was a station in east Donegal it would have broken the record

Summertime8989

I recall seeing -19 at kilygordon around 4am. It was after a night out so maybe my sight was wonky ha

sryanbruen

Grange had its lowest minimum temperature on record on Christmas Day 2010 with -17.4c. Though December 2010 equals with February 1986 as my coldest month on record.

Schadenfreudia

sryanbruen wrote: »

Grange had its lowest minimum temperature on record on Christmas Day 2010 with -17.4c. Though December 2010 equals with February 1986 as my coldest month on record.

Dec 2010 beat Feb 1986 here by 0.3 degrees (minus). Never got below -12C here...but I notice the [IMG]http://q=cabbage+palms+uk&espv=2&biw=1024&bih=643&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMI_Yy53NS6xwIVh70UCh2KKwFZ#imgrc=TlinBDskc36gBM:[/IMG] cabbage psalms survived here when they didn't anywhere else in Dublin away from the coast.

Schadenfreudia

Schadenfreudia wrote: »

Dec 2010 beat Feb 1986 here by 0.3 degrees (minus). Never got below -12C here...but I notice the [IMG]http://q=cabbage+palms+uk&espv=2&biw=1024&bih=643&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMI_Yy53NS6xwIVh70UCh2KKwFZ#imgrc=TlinBDskc36gBM:[/IMG] cabbage psalms survived here when they didn't anywhere else in Dublin away from the coast.

How the *** do you post a photo here!

sryanbruen

Schadenfreudia wrote: »

How the *** do you post a photo here!

I don't know, I'm not allowed anyways though I wanted to show you my December 2010 temperature graph

sryanbruen

Schadenfreudia wrote: »

Dec 2010 beat Feb 1986 here by 0.3 degrees (minus). Never got below -12C here...but I notice the cabbage psalms survived here when they didn't anywhere else in Dublin away from the coast.

Both months recorded a mean temperature of -2.2c at Grange

Meteorite58

Schadenfreudia wrote: »

How the *** do you post a photo here!

Either download a picture on to your computer from another source or upload a pic from your phone or camera on to your computer( find pics in downloads from the internet or in my pictures) . Then go on to a picture sharing site such as http://imgur.com/
press upload images, then press browse your computer, select your image with a double click, you will see a thumbnail of the pic ... tick the box and press upload, ( you can adjust the size of the pic here and press save, you will then see a list of codes , pick the Boards and forums code, click on it to highlight it then right click to copy then paste into your message......phew sounds a lot but you will get the hang of it very quickly.

John T Carroll

Harps wrote: »

It's not an official station but I seen to recall the Kilygordan NRA station showing -18C once or twice during that spell so likely if there was a station in east Donegal it would have broken the record

You are quite right, the attachment shows Kilygordan at - 17.1C (I think) at 0920 that morning.
The reason that I saved the NRA File was because I wanted a record to see if my 11 year old battery would start my (petrol) car after being idle for 5 days.....it did.

WheatenBriar

Attached is a photo taken by Bj o'Beirne of a frozen over Avoca river in Arklow on a snowy day in jan 1987
I remember it well,it looked like a rivee in Siberia

sryanbruen

The following picture is of somewhere in Ireland or the UK in January 1987

WheatenBriar

Also in jan 1987 by the same photographer,taken outside the Arklow bay hotel

Elmer Blooker

not many picking the worst winter (presuming most here are coldies)
1988-89 still gives me nightmares! We more or less had 3 months of this!
The mid point of that winter.

sryanbruen

Elmer Blooker wrote: »

not many picking the worst winter (presuming most here are coldies)
1988-89 still gives me nightmares! We more or less had 3 months of this!
The mid point of that winter.

How could that very warm (yeah it is appropriate to call that Winter that), dry and sunny Winter give you nightmares?

Elmer Blooker

sryanbruen wrote: »

How could that very warm (yeah it is appropriate to call that Winter that), dry and sunny Winter give you nightmares?

Very mild yes. In my experience dry and sunny winter weather in Ireland means cold and mild weather means dull and a permanent blanket of cloud.
I prefer sunny to dull weather at any time of year. Give me a -NAO anytime in winter.

sryanbruen

Elmer Blooker wrote: »

Very mild yes. In my experience dry and sunny winter weather in Ireland means cold and mild weather means dull and a permanent blanket of cloud.
I prefer sunny to dull weather at any time of year. Give me a -NAO anytime in winter.

That highlighted sentence is confusing!

sryanbruen

Worst Winter is Winter 2013 / 14.
Best Winter at Grange at least is 2010 / 11! Such an unforgettable Winter. Reasons why:

Sunniest December on record
Very sunny January and February too
Very mild February compared to extremely cold December and cold January
Coldest December on record (equals with February 1986 as my coldest month on record with a mean temperature of -2.2c)
Sunniest January day on record (the 18th)
Lowest maximum temperature on record (Christmas Day)
Lowest minimum temperature on record (Christmas Day)
Sunniest December day on record (the 8th, if only Christmas Day was longer, it would of been the sunniest because there was not a cloud in sight at all!)
Coldest Christmas Day on record
Best White Christmas (though 2004 had FALLING snow, this one had only snow on the ground but very deeply!)
This graph shows my average maximum and minimum temperatures as well as actual maximum and minimum temperatures in December 2010.

sryanbruen

The worst Winters for sunshine at Grange:

1. 1992 / 93
2. 1993 / 94
3. 1994 / 95
4. 1997 / 98
5. 2011 / 12

sryanbruen

The picture below is Storm Rachel's waves affecting Scotland on the 15th of January this year.

John T Carroll

WheatenBriar wrote: »

Also in jan 1987 by the same photographer,taken outside the Arklow bay hotel

This is probably in some other post.
http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/the-five-worst-irish-storms-of-all-times-remembered-134108798-237741051.html

Schadenfreudia

That cold blast in January 1987 only lasted three days...but on one of those days the temperature didn't get above -3C at any ME station in Ireland, including Valentia !

(Going from memory - so shoot me if I'm wrong )

sryanbruen

Schadenfreudia wrote: »

That cold blast in January 1987 only lasted three days...but on one of those days the temperature didn't get above -3C at any ME station in Ireland, including Valentia !

(Going from memory - so shoot me if I'm wrong )

You were close, it was actually 4 days (11th-14th)

sryanbruen

Pattern I just noticed that every Christmas Day that falls on a Saturday since my records began has been a White Christmas {1993, 1999, 2004, 2010}. Interesting :)

Schadenfreudia

sryanbruen wrote: »

Pattern I just noticed that every Christmas Day that falls on a Saturday since my records began has been a White Christmas {1993, 1999, 2004, 2010}. Interesting :)

Then close but no cigar this year!

sryanbruen

Schadenfreudia wrote: »

Then close but no cigar this year!

Sorry whatcha mean by that?

MJohnston

sryanbruen wrote: »

Sorry whatcha mean by that?

It's a Friday this year.

sryanbruen

MJohnston wrote: »

It's a Friday this year.

Yeah ino? It won't be a Saturday again 'til 2021

MJohnston

sryanbruen wrote: »

Yeah ino? It won't be a Saturday again 'til 2021

This is what Schadenfreudia meant though.