Ophelia Contest: Predict the Highest Gust at a Met Eireann Station

Steopo

M.T. Cranium wrote: »

I realize Fastnet is out to sea but which direction is it relative to Sherkin? I don't recall seeing reports from there during Darwin. Heard about the 1979 sailing race disaster otherwise wouldn't even have known of its existence before today.

Fastnet Rock (most southerly point of Ireland) is about 10km South West of Sherkin & Lighthouse is 53m above sea level

fryup

well what was the highest? and most importantly who won the contest??

and whats the prize?

JCX BXC

Weathercheck wrote: »

The data from Sherkin will be interesting, it went offline just as it was really ramping up.....

84kt was highest at Roches so far, what was interesting was the high gust ratio generally across the country...

Perhaps overall the intensity was approx 10% less than I was expecting but the widespread nature of the event means for me it surpasses the Darwin storm ---will be interesting to see if Sherkin surpassed the high gust from Darwin of 86kt at Shannon Airport...

The high gust from Darwin was 79kts at Shannon, not 86kts.

Larbre34

fryup wrote: »

well what was the highest? and most importantly who won the contest??

and whats the prize?

Sherkin Island data isnt in yet, it would be in the running with Roches Point to win, currently at 84 knots - but if nobody gets it on the nose, no winner anyway!

sryanbruen

JCX BXC wrote: »

The high gust from Darwin was 79kts at Shannon, not 86kts.

According to the source from Met Éireann, it was 86kts.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=104989640&postcount=148

M.T. Cranium

Thanks for the info about Fastnet Rock (lazy old geet that I am, sure it's easily googled) ... based on that height of their gust, Sherkin would possibly have edged out the 84 knots at Roches Point, may be a few days before we see anything posted on the website (under past weather, daily data). We may even have to wait for the monthly summary (and on occasion they make mention of places not listed on the website, for example, Waterford airport is not listed, also Donegal and Kerry airports not listed).

As to max gust with Darwin, that is listed at 86 knots in the Feb 2014 Monthly Weather Bulletin available on-line at the met.ie website (under archives, monthly weather summaries).

Rebelbrowser

I still wouldnt rule out Cork airport if it didnt update fully yesterday. Typically breezier than Roches Point and more western.

Sesame

Just saw on examiner.ie that "The strongest gusts of the day were recorded as 190km/h at Fastnet Lighthouse off the Cork coast."

JCX BXC

sryanbruen wrote: »

According to the source from Met Éireann, it was 86kts.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=104989640&postcount=148

Apologies, I was going by the METAR.

86kts, no wonder an aircraft was lifted and thrown on its side. Didn't reach those gusts this time around here in Clare.

M.T. Cranium

Deleted User wrote: »

It would be good it Met added a max and min windspeed to yesterdays weather on the website

Not sure what this means, in fact yesterday's weather does list the strongest gust for each station if it's over 30 knots. So you can just look at the list and see who was highest and if they all reported who was lowest, sometimes a few don't make it but yesterday all reporting made it, Sherkin is still off line.

Maybe you meant something else?

M.T. Cranium

Sesame wrote: »

Just saw on examiner.ie that "The strongest gusts of the day were recorded as 190km/h at Fastnet Lighthouse off the Cork coast."

That is true but the contest was for reporting stations on land, Fastnet may not even be part of met.ie at all but if it is, it's like an ocean buoy or the Kinsale energy platform, not part of this contest (in part because it's situated too high off the ground, if they had a 60-metre tower at Roches Point that would have no doubt been stronger than 84 knots).

Surprised Kinsale energy seemed to peak at 70 but I suspect that their instrument exposure to south winds is less open than to west winds, possibly.

M.T. Cranium

Sherkin back on line and there are posted numbers for 16th under daily data but no charts which makes me wonder if they are provisional not including some missing hours. The highest gust is listed as 74 knots.

It may be the end of the month summaries before we'll have a clear indication of their actual highest gust.

mrskinner

Entries.

Roche's Point
79. PAULDRY
81. DONEGAL STORM
89. JCX BXC
89. STOOGE
92. NACHO LIBRE
94. THE MILKY PIRATE
97. MUNSTER LEGEND
100. LARBRE34
106. MONSTER1
107. IRISH STEVE.


Sherkin
69. FRAXINUS1
78. ALFA BETA
87. MRSKINNER
88. CUL A CNOIC
91. MTC
93. LUCERNARIAN
94. WEATHERCHECK
99. LUMI
101. AUTUMNALCORE

Johnstown Castle
95. UP FOR ANYTHING
95. FRYUP
101. RIKAND
103. SAMARIS
103. JOHN MAC

Valentia
94. JFKIRELAND

M3
94. SWORD1

Dublin airport
133. JOBS OXO

Kinsale energy
95. TAZIO
96. WAZZORAYBELLE
105. SDANSEO


Cork Airport
88. RECKLESS ABANDONMENT
88. BSAL
90. ROUGIES

WAterford Airport
82. GAOTH LAIDIR

Casement Airport
107. PHEREKYDES

Malin Head
98. BILL66

M.H.
? ANDREWMUFC

37 TOTAL. AVERAGE 92.

mrskinner

ME reports that the highest gust was 84 kn at Roches Point.

M.T. Cranium

Yes, I notice that Met E have updated the daily report for Sherkin Island for 16 Oct and now it has complete data for the graphs, and continues to give 74 knots as the maximum although a one-hour average of 55 knots in the graphs.

So I guess no data will ever show a higher gust, whether that's actually true or false remains a mystery perhaps, given the speeds reported at Fastnet (at a higher exposure).