Weather memories

Robwindstorm

Hi everyone, I did not research anything, so there's no specific dates.

JANUARY 1982. The famous blizzard. I remember getting two extra weeks of Christmas holidays and sliding on the main Kells to Dublin road as a snow drift had half it blocked outside my house.

SUMMER 1985. Very wet with constant rain and a spectacular and dangerous thunderstorm in July. We lost alot of hay and any that was saved was called farmers lung hay.

SUMMER 1986. Hot spell in June followed by another massive thunderstorm. We got to cover some haystacks in the lightning before the rain started. Hurricane Charley came in August flooding the river blackwater and leaving the top bale of our seven bale stacks visible over the water.

OCTOBER 1987. The Great Storm in England. Michael Fish's famous forecast. I remember seeing the animation of the storm on the BBC news explaining what went wrong. A small depression crossing the Atlantic and combining with another in the bay of Biscay.

FEBRUARY 1988. Storm K as it was called at the time. Storm center close to 1940 mb passed to our North West like the storms did back then. Alot of trees blown down and I think nearly everyone lost their TV Ariel. I couldn't watch Grange hill for a month.

FEBRUARY 1990 . Alot of small intense depressions passed through Malin head with 90mph gusts.

JANUARY 1991. A large storm, not quite as strong as 1988 but it killed alot of people including tourists if I am correct. No real warning systems back then.

SUMMER 1995. What a glorious summer. After milking the few cows, I would walk the fields barefooted in just shorts while herding and walk up the river to cool down.

DECEMBER 1997. A vicious Christmas Eve storm knocked out alot of power. Alot of people had no turkey or Tele for Christmas.

DECEMBER 1998. A St. Stevens day storm with 100mph winds and was long lasting. It knocked alot of mature trees. This for me was the last real strong Athlantic storm to pass over Ireland.

DECEMBER 1999. Storm of the Century it was called in France. Alot of trees were ripped up in Paris. Maybe Sryanbruen could do some research on this storm.

Jim_Hodge

Summer 1976. Got burned to a crisp and sunstroke.

NickNickleby

Christmas Eve, I'm looking out the window into the darkness, to see if there's any sign of Santa and the sleigh. Suddenly, large flakes of snow started to fall. After some great excitement, I was hooshed up to bed, or else Santa wouldn't deliver our presents. Next morning woke up to presents and a winter wonderland. I think this was Christmas 1962, so I'd have been 7. My date is based on looking up info on White Christmases for those years. This was in Birmingham, not sure what was happening in Ireland. So, despite not remembering the date, my memory of that night looking out at the heavily falling snow is as vivid now as it was then. Snow on Christmas Eve night when your 7? - OF COURSE there's a Santa.

Robwindstorm

You guys have a few more candles on your cake than me. I was a toddler in 76, but heard so much about that sweltering summer, much like 95. I am not sure about Christmas 62 in Ireland but I know 1963 was meant to be one of the coldest winters on record. Memories of snowy Christmas eves are rare, there was one in the 90s and again I think in 2003. I can't remember one as a young lad like you nick, but it's amazing and wonderful the way it has stuck in your mind all these years. Happy memories never fade

TheRiverman

The Summers of 1975 and 1976. Scorchers and no talk of climate change.

Comhrá

1: Listening to the roof timbers of my house creaking during Storm Darwin in Feb 2014. Never want to hear those sounds again. Very scary.

2: Winter freeze in 2010. - 10c. on my Davis weather station one morning. Water pipes frozen for three days.

3: Saving hay with my father in the summer of 1976. We left the small tree-lined sheltered meadow for a few hours, the heat was so oppressive.

Elmer Blooker

lots of weather memories, probably too many to put in a single post but here goes ....

the BIG one Jan 1982, summer 1983, July 1985 terrifying storm, Hurricane Charlie Aug 1986, the Siberian pipe burster Jan 1987, summer 1989, winter of 1991/2 when there was no weather for three months (bad), summer 1995, Feb 28 2001 snowfall, August 2003 (on holliers in Wexford), Christmas Day 2009, the only occasion I have ever seen freezing rain, January and December 2010 and the only white Christmas I have ever seen, summer 2022 for the fine August we have waited so long for! ..........

PS. July 2013 deserves a mention after a run of dreadful summers.

Gonzo

similar to posts above my main memories are:

January 1982, - the best snow event of my life, pity I was too young to appreciate it.

July 1985 - The epic thunderstorm, the only true thunderstorm to affect my part of Meath and have seen nothing like it ever since. A once in the lifetime event. Barely any thunder and lightning since the 1985 storm. A half hearted thunderstorm would be good to get but we don't even get those.

1986 - Hurricane Charlie, a massive amount of flooding.

January 1987 - Loads of snow, a week off school and frozen pipes and windows.

February 1991 - Loads of snow, another week of school and the end of the regular cold winters of the 1980s.

Summer 1995 - Ireland may as well been the Costa Del Sol for July and August.

December 1997 - The Christmas Eve storm, probably the worst wind storm in this area and was quite scary.

December 2010 - The December to remember, more snow than I knew what to do with and many hours watching the radar tracking the massive snow showers heading my way for days on end.

March 2018 - Storm Emma and the massive dumping of snow in the opening days of March. snowflakes were dissapointing but it sure did mount up very quickly for such small flakes.

Summer 2018 - A fantastic summer plenty of warm to hot weather.

July 2022 - The excitment of 33C being reached and the potential of 33.4C being beaten which sadly didn't happen.

August 2022 - A month of warm to hot weather and the first decent August in well over a decade.

Robwindstorm

Ah yes January 1987, icy and plenty of snow and a week off school. Storm Darwin was very similar in structure to the storm on Christmas Eve 1997, only it's path veered off to the NE quicker which meant the south Midlands bore the brunt. 2010 was also unique with the depth of cold and snow. Emma has also special memories in 2018. Good to read others trying to save hay at a time when the big round bale was scarce.

cml387

I just remember being home from school for a period immediately after Christmas in 1962/3 and no sport on TV (They showed High Noon one Saturday instead of Grandstand).

A thunderstorm one Friday the day we broke up for the summer holidays in July 1967. We finished school and walked home (about a mile and a half) in a severe thunderstorm.

Another series of severe thunderstorms over a number of nights at some date during the early seventies but I haven't been able to pin down the dates.

A series of severe windstorms in January during the early seventies that caused many power outages.

Larbre34

The evening floods in Dublin of 24th October 2011.

Being stuck on the M50 for hours as the dip near Marlay Park literally filled up, Dundrum Town Centre turned into one big water feature, the River Slang burst its banks down at Windy Arbour, taking a pal's business with it.

If I recall correctly, we had something like 84mm of rain in 3 hours or so, which led to the overwhelming of normal drainage as above. Unfortunately one lady drowned in a residential basement somewhere in the south city.

bad2thebone

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119706780#Comment_119706780

I was born in August 75 my parents often mention those two summers.

bad2thebone

I remember well the floods in the Burren in November 2009.

You couldn't drive from Corofin to Kilfenora north bound. As the whole of one section of the road near Leamaneh Castle was under nearly 6ft of water. Tractor's couldn't get through either.

Part's of Carron were like Islands, detours everywhere. One night I was driving back from the flaggy shore and decided to cut through Carron and come up through the commons and out near the Expo in Killnaboy. I nearly felt like I was trapped as the water levels were rising fast in the lowlands. What I drove through earlier in the evening had risen on the way home. All the run off from the hills were filling up rapidly

Lough Bunny on the Gort to Corofin road was flooded for weeks. So to get to Galway you needed to go back towards Ennis.

Some bridges in Ennis were closed off because they were vibrating with the amount of water funneling through. So they had gaurds stopping people from walking over.

Then along came that frost and everything froze over. Driving from a to b over frozen hail.

Been a few years now since I seen the gritters on the road.

Nabber

Cycled home in the 2011 floods. Spent the night gathering sand bags from the council, packing up a wheelie bin and building rudimentary flood walls at all the older neighbours doors. The dodder was expected to flood at high tide, which it did.

Walked around to the Aviva stadium Havlock entrance as rumours were spreading that the construction work allowed water into the surrounding neighbourhoods. Two Garda were standing close threatening arrest for anyone who tried to approach.

Elmer Blooker

Part 2.

The east coast continuous lightning for several days, October 2003 (see below)

The night of November 27/28 2010 and east coast all night lightning, more thunder hail than snow but I’ll always remember those blue flashes. That spell really began in style!

ok, this one isn’t about the weather but it is about looking up at the sky, about a week later there was a spectacular Aurora Borealis so Oct ‘03 really stands out in my memory.

Billcarson

I vaguely remember the cold spell of late Dec 78 / early jan 79. Was only 5 at the time. Well my main memory of it was coming home from Galway. Stayed in my grandparents in kinvara, Galway for a few days around New year's as we sometimes did at that time of Yr. Dont remember much snow in Galway but as we drove back east to Dublin where I lived at the time, the more snow there was on the ground the further east we drove. It was exciting going from where there was very little snow to a couple of hrs later being in a winter wonderland.

pnott

My weather memories only go back to the late 90s.

Christmas Eve 1997 - Worst wind storm I can remember in my lifetime in North East Wicklow. I remember struggling to open the car door such was the force of the wind. I also remember my folks stocking up on candles in case we were in the dark for Christmas. Thankfully the power remained on.

St. Stephen's Day 1998 - Another windy one. Not as bad as 1997 but it did manage to rip our trellis off the wall.

September/October 2003 - Not sure on the exact date but early on when I was in 4th year in school I remember getting the bus around 8am and seeing lightning over the sea and thunder. The lightning and thunder continued on all day. Then the heavens opened around 1pm and flooded the back of the school resulting in us getting the rest of the day off and the next day off too.

July 2006 - The wall to wall sunshine and the heat. Unfortunately that was followed by a rubbish dull August.

Winter 2009/2010 - Started off cold around mid December. My brother's 30th birthday was on New Year's eve and I remember it snowing in Dublin that night. I also recall the snow around February 2010 resulting in major disruption to rail services.

November - December 2010: The prolonged cold and snow was unreal. Got around a week off college due to the snow. I remember the slipping and sliding on the ice to mass on Christmas Day that year.

October 24th 2011 - The extremely heavy rain that fell in the east resulting in an emergency being called in Dublin due to flooding.

Late February to Early March 2018 - The beast from the east meeting Emma from the South bringing a rare 2 day red level warning. Everything was closed here for two days.

Summer 2018 - Sun and heat started in mid to late May and continued unabated until August. Spent most evenings and weekends swimming in the sea that summer. Truly a summer to remember.

spacetweek

This wasn't a single event but does anyone remember the rubbish wet summers of 2007 and 2008. In 2007 in Dublin it rained every day for 7 weeks straight through July and August. It was so bad I seriously considered emigrating.

Robwindstorm

Yes, I remember 2007 and 2008 were woeful summers. The river flooded in my area in August 2008. I think the heaviest days rain I have ever seen was in August 2009 as well. 2012 was a terrible summer as well, our summer came too early in March that year when temps reached the 20s. The 2011 flooding was very serious in Dublin and I remember that young nurse lost her life. The last major flooding was in the West around February 2020, so the east coast looks likely to be a target again in the near future.

Danno

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119714390#Comment_119714390

All summers 2007 to 2012 were dreadful washouts for inland areas owing to daytime convection in between regular zonal fronts. The summer of 2010 wasn't as bad, but didn't really deliver much in the way of memorable summer weather either. Interestingly, each of these summers had decent Mays following often chilly Aprils and mild Marchs.

spacetweek

That cycle seemed to come to an end with a glorious summer 2013. I recall sunbathing every day after coming home from work.

cml387

Met Eireann's forecast for the August 1997 Bank Holiday weekend was for rain to clear away and for a warm and dry spell.

It started to rain on Sunday. And rain, and rain into Monday, Tuesday and at the end Clonmel suffered serious flooding.

Robwindstorm

I remember that August bank holiday, just wasn't sure which year in 90's. That was one of met eireann's most spectacular belly ups of a forecast. I think it was poor Evelyn Cusack who had to face the backlash for a week

esposito

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119790565#Comment_119790565

Was a young boy but I remember that washout August bank holiday weekend well. My dad giving out stink about Met Eireann getting it so wrong as we camped in Killarney.

cml387

I believe it was due to an errant warm front that, instead of clearing away ,moved up and down over Munster for two or three days.

cml387

Here's Met Eireann's report on the event:

https://www.met.ie/cms/assets/uploads/2017/08/August-1997.pdf

Graces7

Snowed in up in the Bluestacks... and the sheer kindness of boardsies... A winter whose memories I treasure... cannot mind the date

Hippodrome Song Owl

I can't remember a lot of the ones I should, or at least they don't stand out to me like they should. Summer 95 means nothing to me although I was in my early teens.

Hurricane Charlie I remember because we were camping in West Cork. It was awful.

The only snow event I remember from my childhood is a mediocre snowfall of January 1996.

Local flooding in summer 1993.

Then it's all from more recent years. The incredible thunder and lightning of October 2003. The snow of 2009 and 2010. Storm Emma 2018 and the summer of 2018.

sryanbruen

As I'm only a millennium child, I didn't get to experience the same fantastic events or seasons many did here such as summer '95 or January 1982 blizzard. However, here's a selection of mine.

1. White Christmas of 2004. I don't remember it as I was only 4 years of age but I woke up to a dusting on my playhouse that I got that same christmas. It is the only technical white Christmas of my lifetime of snow falling on the day in my area.
2. July 2006. My earliest weather memory. Spent it in a mobile home in Donabate that we also had for the summer of 2005. Felt humid often and close but beach days seemed endless, helped by the fact I was literally by the sea. Likely my favourite summer month up until June 2018.
3. November 2009. Was spared the worst of this horrific infamous deluge month unlike say Cork but was fascinated by the extremity of it. I had not seen as wet a month for Ireland as of that point. Remember vividly doing an all nighter on Halloween 2009 and it started to lash like 2am on Nov 1st, it would end up setting the scene for the entire month.
4. January 2010. Of course this had to be given a mention. Wonderful first 10 days. Very cold and at times snowy, especially on the 9th for my local area. The rest of it was pretty forgettable.
5. November/December 2010. I endlessly praise this period and will continue to do so 'til the day I die. People probably fed up of me doing so! The first few days of November were a write off, mild damp gunk. Then a vigorous depression that looked massive on forecasts pushed down from the northwest on the 7th and it sank to our SE by the 9th - a very strange low evolution for November. Young innocent sryanbruen watching the regular Sunday BBC week ahead forecast uploaded to YouTube on the 21st. Remember it being presented by Laura Tobin showing winds coming from a long way northeast and the colours going very blue by the Friday over Ireland with a chance of snow. I was like ah sure that won't happen. Maybe a bit of sleet and lots of crisp sunshine. Friday 26th Nov comes, oh look I was right, just sunshine and no snow. I didn't watch the forecasts coming up to this. Then overnight into the 27th the first Irish Sea streamers arrived as the wind became more east and less directly north. There was THUNDER involved with these streamers too, which DIDN'T wake me up! I woke up around 9 am to the whole place glittering in white against the blue sky. I was absolutely delighted. The covering wasn't huge but it was a pretty darn decent one of a couple of cm and Dublin Airport runway had to close. Much of it did turn to slush later in the day but more fell overnight into the 28th. The 28th Nov 2010 was a historic day. Lots of snow everywhere across Dublin, even along the beaches. The place was frozen too, it was an ice day. The only November ice day on record here and all-time November record lows for Ireland were set into the 29th. Dew points went above freezing temporarily later on the 29th and melted the snow but the snow returned big time on the 30th with lots falling. I remember being in school on this day and was sent home early. It was very dark. Gerry Murphy was malfunctioning with forecasting 10-20cm of sneachta to fall from the 30th into 1st Dec instead of shleet (just joking of course about the malfunctioning part). 1st Dec I remember getting absolutely pummelled in a neighbourhood snowball fight. I don't have as vivid memories of the rest of the days without the stats/pics minus the fact I had 2 separate colds in December but those didn't take away from the fact I loved the month and of course the deep snow on Christmas Day with cloudless blue sky. I was in like a total of 4 days of school from the 29th Nov 2010 to 10th Jan 2011. The time of year, ignoring the whole exceptional nature of it, was the best part of it all for me. My favourite event without a doubt bar none.
6. March/April 2011. An amazing pair of months to start spring 2011. March 2011 was just your wonderful Irish spring month though many don't remember it compared to March 2012. April 2011 provided a massive contrast to the prior December from extreme negative NAO in the Dec to extreme positive NAO in the Apr, both were among the most extreme on both ends of the scale. April 2011 would end up being our summer of 2011 though with JJA 2011 being notably cool. I remember the gorse fires across the country late in the month early into May from all the warm and dry weather.
7. July 2013. Along with the late 2010 spell for winter, I think July 2013 is the modern golden standard for summer for many judging by what has been said on here over the years. After the cold spring, I was longing for a change. Sure enough, graduated from primary school in late June 2013 and just over a week later, a big change did happen. Ridging from the Azores approached Ireland on the 4th of July and it just got warmer and warmer then a heatwave happened with lots of warmth and sunshine over the following 2 weeks before a thundery breakdown later in the month. Remember having a small paddling pool and a couple of beach days but otherwise nothing stands out that much from this month for me personally memories wise. I was asleep for the thunderstorm too, so that's 2 storms I've missed due to sleep; Nov 2010 and Jul 2013!
8. February/March 2018... the famous Beast from the East and Storm Emma. Well forecast in advance thanks to an amazing major sudden stratospheric warming. Whilst exceptional and memorable, I can't help but express frustration at this spell every time I think of it because of the time of year it occurred. Nonetheless, it was surreal. Went for a stroll through the blizzard on the Friday night 2nd of March. The sky was a strange purple hue. Deep drifts everywhere but unlike other places, I got off lucky as it was still ok to walk unlike my friend in the south side who couldn't get out of his estate.
9. May to July 2018. Let's ignore and forget August 2018... this is definitely the best summer of my lifetime. Unfortunately I was sick through most of spring 2018 but I improved towards the end of May and as luck would have it, the weather became wonderful. An area of high pressure became a semi permanent feature of the weather for nearly two months. Very little measurable rain falling, lots of sunshine and plenty of pleasant warmth. June 2018 was a stunner; less than 5mm of rain, over 1-2 degrees above avg and nearly 270 hours of sun 👌
10. Spring 2020. We don't talk about what followed this epic season but what a blessing this season was during grim times with lockdown. I was fortunate to have the beach in my close vicinity. I would regularly go for beach strolls enjoying the what seemed like endless sunshine. This season and lockdown really made me appreciate what I had within reach without the need to go very far. May 2020 nearly 300 hours of sunshine and less than 10mm of rain, as golden as June 2018 and only two years later.
11. April 2021. A month that is heavily underrated for how cold it was. It was a blessing for me. I am a lover of cold nights and this month was packed to the brim with them plus very sunny with lots of clear days. Remember winter 2020-21 lockdown restrictions eased on 12th April and we were greeted with a run of fine weather. The days become reasonably pleasant after the first week. I particularly remember this month for the Poolbeg Lighthouse sunrises when it seemed like every morning, there was a group of photographers getting the sun to line up with the lighthouse or surroundings from Sandymount. Can't blame them as skies were very clear as previously mentioned.
12. July 2021. This heatwave amazes me in many ways. How it came so out of the blue in an otherwise pretty mediocre month and how clear the skies were. I set out a goal to do every sunrise and sunset during the heatwave. I successfully did almost one week of it before I gave up as I was far too tired. It was the first time I did a swimrise too and man was it so relaxing. Then those warm evenings were bliss. I didn't even find the nights that bad, granted they were cooler here than what a lot had. I consider this the most random heatwave ever but it shows what is possible if you get a good ridge from the Azores!
13. August 2022. The long awaited good August and it was a stunner with a cracking spell of summer weather for the second year in a row, as good as that of July 2021. Another notable spell for the clear skies. Seen a superb display of noctilucent clouds as late as the 11th which I haven't seen reports of a display like this late before I started observing them a few years ago. The thunderstorm at the end of the heatwave was a bit of a flop and went offshore but some nice flashes and strikes over the sea nonetheless that I seen.

A few other random notes:

• Autumn 2021 colours were the best I seen in years. A lot of leaves still on trees by mid-November. The combination of a cold April/May with a warm autumn and reduced gales allowed this to happen.
• The seemingly large frequency of days of fog (not based on fact, pure observation) from November 2020 to September 2021 including the well-remembered near miss ice day on 6 December 2020.
• Although July 2020 was atrociously cloudy, the month had the brightest comet in our skies since Hale-Bopp in 1997 with Neowise. When gaps in the cloud were there, Neowise was spectacular. On 11th July, I was also treated with a very bright type-V noctilucent cloud display that I thought was going to make Neowise invisible but fortunately not.

Danno

Some lovely memories there @sryanbruen and a mention of them brings them back vividly. While you mention Autumn colours 2021, I thought 2013 was the best I've seen in Ireland. This year wasn't bad either - had we more sunny days it would have been picture perfect. Summer 2016 was a decent one too, though I guess 2018 and 2022 have eclipsed it. The late March snowfall of 2016 (think it was 22nd) was impressive for how much fell and how late it was in the season. What year was it that the northeast got a huge snowfall even later - think it was March 30th or even April 1st? Huge drifts up there.

snowstorm445

Memories only really go back to the turn of the millennium. Plenty of memories from my parents of snowy winters gone by back in the 70s and 80s, and my grandmother who remembered the winter of 1962-63 (when there was snow on the ground in Waterford for six weeks apparently).

• December 2000, vague memories of building a snowman with my grandparents in Cork around Christmastime or just afterwards + seeing lots of ice on the wooden fences around the house. One my first childhood memories, as it happens.
• The heatwave in summer 2003, I remember the thermometer in my mam's car getting over 30C. Apparently the weather in Ireland was quite hazy but I remember there being a lot of sunshine.
• I remember being told about the heatwave in 2006 but I was living out of the country with my family at the time. I do remember coming back shortly afterwards and seeing burnt grass patches everywhere, and obsessively looking up the forecasts back home for the novelty of 27/28C being shown for Ireland :D
• The brief snowy weather that hit Drogheda (and much of the northeast) in early January 2008. Snow appeared pretty much out of nowhere one afternoon and didn't stop all evening, there was about half a foot on the ground by morning. I remember taking a trip to Dublin early the next morning and it was bone dry, the snow never made it that far south.
• Christmastime 2009, when the first cold weather began to hit Ireland that winter. Was down in Kerry with the family and the place was idyllic, freezing but really dry and sunny. Then went back up the country for the snow to arrive almost bang at midnight on New Year's Eve, bringing in the new decade. :)
• December 2010 hardly needs explaining. Only came back to Ireland for the Christmas period but the flight back was held up for hours by snow at Dublin Airport. Really winter wonderland-like conditions, never seen anything like that in Ireland before or since. At that time of year as well, it felt really special and seasonal. Can still remember how silent it was walking in the snow at night. Was happy I got to experience that at least once!
• A massive thunderstorm in Cork at some stage in June 2012, incredibly powerful. There was flooding in loads of places all over the city the next day.
• The cold snap in March 2013, I remember silently fuming all evening as the snow streamers pasted Waterford with six inches of snow and they all died out by the time they got to Cork. :/
• The warm summer in July 2013, the first of many that decade it turned out.
• The winter of 2013-14, storm after storm for what felt like weeks on end. There was a lot of flooding in the centre of Cork if I remember.
• Hurricane Ophelia, October 2017, all the panic and the warning systems, almost like a forerun of lockdown. And DCU tweeting Leo Varadkar asking if they were a college!
• Storm Emma and the Beast from the East, what an amazing 3/4 days. I probably remember the buildup more than anything else, after so many heartbreaks you just expected the models to fail, but they finally delivered. And so many memories. Seeing snowdrifts at sea level in a seaside part of Dublin. Going to the local shop and witnessing a stampede as the Brennan's bread truck pulled up! The late night powercut as I was following the thread on Boards. And seeing an actual blizzard in person in Ireland! Was great to live through, even if it was brief.
• The heatwave that summer, felt like it went on forever. I remember seeing Lambay Island from the Dart one day and thinking it was so brown it could've been the south of Spain.
• I moved to Belgium at the end of 2019. Biggest memory here so far was the cold snap in February 2021. Proper continental cold, temperatures fell to about -14C at night, barely climbed to -5C in the day, and the snow lasted for well over a week. The lake in the local park froze solid and people were walking on it. Made lockdown a bit more bearable tbh.
• Finally, the last few summers back in Ireland. This one in particular was stunning, especially the prolonged heat in August. I don't ever remember it getting that hot in Cork, at the end it got up to 30C for a couple of days I think.

There's a few others I can't pin a date to but those really stood out for me! We might resent the weather in Ireland a lot of the time but when everything falls into place it can really deliver!

Strumms

January 1985… the snow.. up to the window sills, marooned inside.

June 1987… being driven along a motorway in Florida, major storm happened and we had to pull away into a disused mall parking lot, we literally couldn’t see out the windows and what I can only describe as a persistent sheet of rain envelopes the car. Car lot got flooded but luckily stopped before the top of the tyre…

June 2003 or 2004…South Of France for a week… temps during the afternoon in the late 30’s… it was impossible to go anywhere or do anything for the bulk of the trip until about 8 pm which is too late… one saving grace was the hotel room had a refrigerator so could keep that stocked up with drinks and the shop was 20 meters from the hotel. Lucked out there. I was pissing like a racehorse though given the amount of liquids consumed.

March 2006… Copenhagen, work trip… snow again but how impressive that a city can be so organised, efficient and smart when handling it… a LOT of snow but nothing stopped, adapt and overcome…

cml387

Once I spent a fortnight in Sundsvall (mid-Sweden) in February. There was snow and ice on all the roads but because they have the correct tires all was operating normally.

Only when an unexpected thaw came one evening did chaos ensue, roads blocked and busses cancelled.

Graces7

Long long ago walking five miles home from school in the thickest of fogs...Totally blind blank..

sryanbruen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119879575#Comment_119879575

2021 was the best autumn colours I had seen since 2013 is what I meant when I said in years. In fact, quite similar seasons in both years. Cold springs, warm summers and reduced gales during the autumn.

The late March snowfall you mention was probably 22 March 2017 and the other 30th March 2010? Think the former was a classic Irish Sea modification here that resulted in a cold rain washout.

leahyl

It's amazing how many weather events you remember when you actually think about it!

• Christmas Eve storm 1997, one of the worst storms I've experienced I think. Remember being in Wilton church, went in with my parents to say a prayer 😋 and the window at the back of the altar had been blown in. Mind you, I have no idea why we were out in that weather! These days it would have been a red warning for sure.
• Floods October 2004 - some of the most intense rain I have ever experienced and relentless (as Siobhan Ryan would say 😉) for the whole day. I just looked it up there and it was 27th/28th October and according to Irish Times article: "Over an inch of rain fell in a 12-hour period". I was in college at the time and got the bus from there to go home but had to get off in the city centre because Patrick Street, Grand Parade and all surrounding area were flooded. Waded through Patrick Street with my brother (who was also in college at the time) and finally was collected by a neighbour on Patricks Hill (the Norries were safe from the flood waters 😀). My dad was working on the building site of what is now the Clayton Hotel on Lapps Quay and he was trapped in there because the water flooded outside the site - it was like a moat!
• White Christmas 2004 - I think it was 2004, I have a pic of myself wearing a santa hat holding our (now deceased 😥) bichon frise out our back and the flash of the camera highlighted the flakes falling. It wasn't much snow but it was enough to be considered a White Christmas! 😀
• Floods November 2009 - Another terrible flooding incident. The ESB released water from the dam out in Iniscarra which of course significantly worsened the situation. I remember actually making it to work the following day and there was probably only myself and security there. One of the other buildings in my work was flooded really badly and had only recently opened too.
• Winter 2010 - One of my favourite memories. 17th December 2010, coming home from work around 5pm and the flakes started falling. By the time I got home it was snowing steadily. I live on a hill and was looking out at this amazing weather (and posting on Boards!) and there were cars sliding all over the place....! The cold was unbelieveable for the whole Christmas period. I remember the thaw setting in then on Stephens Day. The threads on Boards are classics!!

I have noticed that most of the memories are from over 10 years ago....wonder will we ever see a Winter like 2010 again....sigh

sicknotexi

Summer 1995 was the daddy.

Gonzo

If I could pick a single greatest memory for each type of weather event it would be these.

July 1985 for Thunder and lightning. A once in a lifetime event which has never even come close to being matched since anywhere in Ireland.

January 1982 for the infamous blizzard. This is the absolute daddy of snow events. While The December to Remember in 2010 and Storm Emma in March 2018 were awesome, the 1982 event is well above both of these in a league of its own.

Summer 1995: Easily the best spell of continuous hot weather and sunshine I can ever remember.

Christmas Eve 1997: Easily the scariest wind event here in Meath, we usually escape the worst of these events but this one was the real deal.

August 1986 - Hurricane Charley for the floods.

Robwindstorm

Wow, how could I forget the beautiful clear blue skies of April and May 2020 during the pandemic. Everyone was in summer clothing and shades in the long queues outside supermarkets, imagine if it was miserable weather. The March of 2013 (the fodder crisis) deserves an honourable mention as I think it was the coldest March on record, even the ivy on the trees died facing the harsh east wind. This past decade there appears to be longer dry spells, lasting weeks, but in my opinion storms have weakened considerably in terms of windspeed (Darwin being an exception). The summers of 2007 and 2009 were terrible but 2009 holds a memory for me as having the heaviest downpour I have ever witnessed turning the fields into lakes and roads into rivers. It was a day near the end of July in county Meath 2009 and I would love to have seen the rainfall radar. Anyway, great reading everyone's posts and I'm wondering will Grace have a weather memoir or calendar published for Christmas, if not, you should as you have a beautiful poetic way with words.

Graces7

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119892179#Comment_119892179

Kind man and I never thought of it. My weblog keeps me busy islandanchorhold.blogspot.com... and records here last.

spookwoman

I wouldn't be able to put specific years to things. I grew up in the midlands in the 80's and I always remember September was Mushroom season, you would have the warm days and then thundery showers which was a sign to head out with the bags to pick them. This was pretty much every year at the same time.

It was 1982 or 1985 we had a week of snow, the main road was white and packed hard with snow. The national school bus didn't run, the local policeman had a citron and collected a load of us and stuffed as many into the car to get us to school. I think that was the year the pipe from the well froze.

There was a bad thunderstorm one year, I remember where the lightning was bouncing off Lough Ree. Far worse than any other thunder storms we would have had.

I remember every year Clonown just outside Athlone flooded. House's would be flooded and new ones being built around the same area. Same place wtill complaining about getting floods.

I'd say early 2000's the Strawberry Beds got badly flooded and I remember a road up on the right was like a white water rafting river. I think the road went up to Lucan or Leixlip.

2010 I remember here in Waterford going to work and the cars in front of me bouncing off the kerbs where they were not used to driving in the snow. My work place was at the end of a slope and off to the right. The trick was about 50 ft from the turn, start turning the wheel and you just slid into the parking spot 😁 I remember the ice crystals hanging in the air so clearly. I was so crisp and clear.

January 1991 stands out for me as the worst storm; probably the deadliest since Debbie, and really hammered us in Galway.

I think it was October 2014, great lowering skies with thunder and high winds, and hundreds of Gannets and Kittiwakes driven into the inner Galway Bay. All diving into the shoals of fish, and avoiding the feasting seals, just metres off Nimmos Pier at the Claddagh. Never seen anything like it since.

Re the Clare floods of 2009, the freezing after left a ring of bare bark on submerged trees surrounding turloughs, where mosses were killed off, indicating the height of the inundation. This is still visible (though becoming less so every year) on many thousands of specimens in Clare and South Galway.

Robwindstorm

Picking the wild mushrooms after the muggy weather, the thrill of finding a pocket of white, even if it was only your dad that ate them. Good memories alright. I had that 1991 storm on my first post, I remember it was similar to the 1988 one even though not quite as strong. I think a tree fell across a mini bus carrying tourists with some fatalities. There was no real warning systems then and even though the warning criteria is a bit flawed today, the west of Ireland would be a red warning and lives might have been saved as this storm was well forecasted in advance. As for 2010, that November and December will go down in history.

TTLF

I may have been born short of the new millennium, but through recorded videos, my own memory and photo documents I can remember a decent portion of the weather events I have lived through

October 13th 2002: I was only 4 months old so I don't remember this, but October 13th had a flooding deluge in Dublin, flooding Rathmines specifically and most likely my area since I live near the Dodder river!

December 24th 2004: This was my 3rd official Christmas as I was born the summer of 2002, I remember a very small snip it of rolling into my auntie's driveway on Christmas day in Northern Ireland, and the snow started to bucket down. There's a picture of me and my older cousin making a snowman that day, I think I managed to get a better accumulation than Dublin that day based off my location, so lucky me!!

July 2006: Not too many memories from this period, but I do recall the warm days in Brittas Bay Wicklow at our caravan and some of the endless beach days associated with it, along with the blue skies!

February 2nd/3rd 2009: I have video evidence recorded on this day of snow falling in Dublin. It started to fall around evening time of the 2nd, with my siblings and friends and I playing in it as my mother recorded, you could tell snow wasn't all that common as we had to leave to bring my siblings to piano lessons and my mother says "it'll be here when we get back!... I hope." Thankfully the snow did stay, and we got a decently small covering on the 3rd that morning. I also recall being in school and heavy snow started to pour, and the school closing early.

January 2010: I remember the lake being frozen over briefly near my house, and I went sledding with my friends, but for some reason my memory found this period quite forgettable.

November 27th 2010: This day warrants it's own discussion, I was completely oblivious to the idea of how weather worked as I was 8. I remember waking up to my older sibling screaming at me to look out the window, and lo-and-behold, there was a crisp blanket of snow on the ground and a bright blue sky above... I was in SHOCK. My family and I went sledding that day and I also recall it was a Saturday and I went to drama class, but on the way home my father tried to turn into our cul-de-sac in our 2002 Rav 4 and spun out!

December 2010: The entire month was exceptional and probably something I will never witness again in my lifetime. Despite making the best of it, I greedily thought Ireland had this as typical weather (due to 2008/9 and Jan 2010 already giving us a lot of snow events). December 1st or 2nd had my first experience of thundersnow as I walked up to the shop with my mother, I had never seen such silvery/dark clouds before. I did not attend school between November 30th to January 2011 because my location made it impossible to get there. My school decided to shut most of the time anyway because of freezing pipes. I recall the text message on December 20th from my school saying it would be remained shut for term and happy holidays! I have many video's documenting this time, including a video taken by one of my parents on December 23rd of the snowfall in our area.

December 23rd 2010: This day in particular stood out to me, the flakes were extremely fat that evening as we had more streamers, or a possible LP I am unsure, my main memory that evening was watching the Wizard of Oz on the telly in the sitting room watching it snow, and suddenly a huge rumble occurred, and screams from my siblings and their friends running back to the comfort of the house (they were sledding outside). This would be the second time I experienced thundersnow.

October 24th 2011: Despite 2010's influence, the lasting impression of the 2011 flooding in Dublin ignited the fire in my curiosity towards weather events. As a child I started to grow accustom to loving snow, but I never thought much about rain events. This changed on October 24th, at 9 years old when my father and I went out to help cars stuck from the flooding of the Dodder. I recall the a fire engine driving through this deep area of water, and the cars parked outside the apartment block beside my area literally bobbing in the water. The sheer extent of the flooding caught me by surprise, as I saw some idiot in a 2009 BMW risk it all and drive into the deep water, and his car dying midway down the road. I learnt the next day of Dundrum flooding, and spent the evening glued to Youtube watching Dundrum flooding videos.

July 2012: Just a small one here, I remember the very poor summer weather, and the endless rainy days in our caravan in Wicklow, one of which caused my Auntie's car to get stuck in the over-saturated soil! We had to help push her car out in the pouring rain, it felt like it was going to never end that summer.

March 2013: The SSW event gave some hefty snowfalls in my area, with me recording them on my Ipod touch as I hadn't seen so much snow since 2010! I recall the heavy flakes and decent covering, although otherwise forgettable and didn't last very long.

July 24th 2013: This was my first proper thunderstorm I can recall in my life. I had been travelling up and down from Dublin to Wicklow that summer as per usual, and when we arrived home to Dublin the night of the 24th, the heavens opened and I saw the most spectacular lightning storm ever. Up until this point, I was actually quite afraid of thunder and lightning, but that night I saw something beautiful with the constant streaks, flashes and heavy rain. This was truly a night to remember for me.

July 18th 2014: I feel this was a very localised thunderstorm, so if you remember this please let me know, I have photo proof of this event too. I recall waking up randomly at 5am with my heart beating a little quicker than usual. I was very confused because at this point I was hitting puberty and I really loved my long sleeping in, so waking up at 5am confused me... until I heard the thunder and got a fright. My mother and oldest sibling awoke to the storm, which felt like it was circulating the Brittas area over and over. We stayed up watching the storm from 5-7am scared for our lives in this small tin caravan with a dense forest behind us. My mother was afraid of a tree falling on the caravan from the lightning strike!

December 3rd 2015: One of the wettest days I have experienced, with over 50mm (I think) falling in my area throughout the entire day, the Dodder slightly burst its banks but it wasn't the same level as 2011. I recall going out and watching the river later that evening after I finished my homework and secretly wishing the Dodder would burst as it was on the verge.

October 8th/9th/10th 2017: I remember the weekend before this, watching Leo Veradkar going to the emergency meeting hosted by Met Éireann and feeling excited by the possibility of a hurricane, I wouldn't have thought in a million years Ireland would get one (although I do recall storm Debbie in the 60s). I was in my friends bedroom when we got the red warning for Hurricane Ophelia, 'yippie no school!' we rejoiced, the first time we'd had a school cancel since 2010. My friend and I went on a walk that evening around our area, eerily quiet with no wind. The next morning I watched radars and saw a lot of damages, including in my own area with a decent amount of fallen trees. I remember I had to tie up the bins with rope so they wouldn't fly away! The day after the storm it was bright and sunny, sort of like after a typhoon hits China or Japan. I went to hang out with my friends because we had another day off school and I went around and took photos on my phone, this is when I started to want to document weather events.

December 10th 2017: I have a bittersweet memory in this event. Dublin ended up with really grim rain from the event as winds veered east and onshore wind became a problem, making it just warm enough for rain to occur. However, I was lucky enough to experience the snowfall on this day as my father and I went up towards Sally gap and we had a huge snowball fight. The snow was quite deep where we parked and I was able to enjoy the snow and snowfall for a couple of hours.

February 27th/28th 2018: At this point I had started posting here on the boards, and was fortunate enough to meet my very important and cherished friend (you know who you are). They had taught me a lot about weather patterns and chart reading that I was prepared enough to understand how the weather world and Irish climate now worked. On February 27th I had just finished my 3rd year mock exams, knowing how tomorrow was possibly going to play out, glued to the boards when I got home, and preparing myself for a little extended holiday treat after finishing my exams. The days preceding this I recall a very crisp cold sunny sky and a blue hue in the evening as the sun set (which I also have photos of may I add). I set up a time-lapse that night on my Ipad to record the start of the Beast from the East snow event and slept barely a wink as I watched it snow all night. The next day (28th) I went out on a 4 hour walk and documented everything I could in my area from the snow the night before. I then went sledding in bushy park with my friends and noticed the lake was frozen over.

March 1st-4th 2018: The Beast from the East was certainly a surprise in some aspects, mainly how much snow I got. I recorded upwards of 40cm in my garden, eventually being snowed into my own home, I couldn't walk further than 4 minutes down the road without the snow being up to my knees and out of breath! The snowfall on March 2nd was fat and fluffy, with many video recordings taken. I recall on the 2nd I sat outside my cul-de-sac and watched cars drive by and slip & slide, there was this interesting blue hue and the sun was setting that evening during the snowstorm I enjoyed. This period was an excellent de-stressor for me after the exams and I cherished every second of it, especially Snowstorm Emma, I don't think I will ever get to experience a snowstorm like that again in my lifetime, or before I'm 50 anyway. 2010 may have won in longevity, but 2018 won in terms of severe-ness and snow depth.

May-July 2018: The summer of 2018 was a real treat after the Beast from the East. I recall the weather being so good that we went down to our holiday home in May to take in the good weather, however I was stressed with Exams. I do recall the Cork thunderstorm on May 28th, I went to Northern Ireland that day, but I missed the flashes seen in Dublin as I fell asleep at 10pm! I recall the very warm sunny June month during my Junior Cert as the grass started to get browner and browner. That summer I visited Italy, where the LP was, and experienced some excellent thunderstorms including a massive one the day before we left (all recorded by the way).

March 3rd 2019: This is a small event only really witnessed by those in the midlands and the East coast, but the rapid cooling that took place on this day created a winter wonderland I won't forget. It was the first time I had experienced a rain-to-snow event in my life. A tile of our roof broke and water started to leak into the wall behind the TV of my house, and as my father was frantically fixing it to stop any electrical damage, the rain started to transition to heavy snow! The snow stuck around for a couple of hours and it was a nice treat to experience, coincidentally around the same time as the BFTE the year prior.

August 9th 2019: This is a small one, but Dublin had an absolutely massive thunder and lightning episode for a brief moment during a downpour. I recall going to close my blinds in my siblings room at 3:45am when this huge flash of lightning blinded me, making me fall back onto the bed. Then the loudest thunder I have ever heard rumbled and made me go into shock. I recall some people on the boards claiming it sounded like an atomic bomb! The strike was directly over Tallaght, and was so loud that it rattled windows and set off car/house alarms. (You can watch it here as there is a recording - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOHzphY-KU8&ab_channel=JasReview)

April/May 2020: Despite the horrible hell of lockdown, one thing that helped me get through this gloomy time was the exceptional weather, with the crisp blue skies lasting for days and the bounty-full walks I went on to help pass the boredom of being stuck at home during 5th year. Even if this time didn't stand out in it's extremes, I look back on it fondly as a time for appreciating my area, the excellent cherry blossom season that year and the warm sunny days which aided my mental health.

June 26th 2020: Thunderstorms that night had been rolling through Ireland, but I was about to give up hope radar watching at 4am, slowly falling asleep when I heard a roll of thunder happen. I proceeded to get up and record one of the best lightning strikes I have recorded to date and enjoy a small thunder and lightning storm for the guts of 1 1/2 hours. (Video can be seen here - https://twitter.com/vxlks/status/1276358016443523075)

December 2020: The colder than average December gave way to some lovely frost and fog events that I cherish, as stated by others, the near ice day on December 6th 2020 is one to note, a real seasonable time of year for the Christmas occasion. I recall many nights where puddles froze over and you could see your breath pretty much daily. Some days frost didn't melt if it was sheltered, particularly towards the middle-end of December, although I am not entirely certain on the date.

July 2021: This heatwave came out of nowhere to me, as I hadn't been model watching that summer, since I was doing my Leaving Cert. I recall a friend (you know who you are, AGAIN) telling me to get off my PC and go outside to enjoy the sunshine. I certainly made the most of that extreme heat spell that felt like it went on forever, as I took my 6th year holiday to Cork and Cobh, perfectly in the middle of the heatwave, felt like we were in Spain for cheaper! We had absolutely no rain during the trip and even went fishing and swimming in Cobh. When we went to Cork, we stayed in a cheap hostel and by god, the heat in those rooms was grim from those humid nights.

July 17th/18th 2022: I was very excited with the prospect of Ireland reached 33C, I remember going out on the 17th to Burrow beach with a couple friends and watching the red sunset. The next day I went walking in Marlay park to soak in the sun and warmth, although I felt it was so warm that you were better off in a pool or in your house. I tried to hike Ticknock but turned around immediately when I was already halfway through my first bottle of water 10 minutes in.

October 19th 2022: My first October thunderstorm I can recall. I was in work taking out the bins when I turned the corner of the garage and saw it bucketing rain. I quickly ran out to put the bins in the dump and ran back inside soaking. I then caught a glimpse of the huge lightning streak across the sky and the huge rumble of thunder after. This was the first classic thunderstorm I had seen since July 2013 as flashes were semi-frequent and the rain was heavy.

I think that just about sums up the experiences I've had in Irish weather from what I can recall in my 20 years on this island, here's to many more fun weather events in the future!

Graces7

My first winter out here I made a snowman on the drive... ot sure what year. There was barely enough snow for it... The ferryman told me about in that "snow winter" when I was up in the Bluestacks, they were shovelling snow out of the ferry ( a 12 seater open curragh). Even getting to the pier would have been an accomplishment.. But tractors are amazing. Once in Orkney the lorry with the snowplough at the front got stuck on the lane and it was a tractor saved the day. It was just on front of my house and a wonderful "show!" At night I used to stand at my door in moonlight gazing at the scene .....snow on snow as far as you could see, and the "Merrie Dancers" lighting the sky. An elemental timeless scene.

Robwindstorm

Wow TTLF, your a very enthusiastic weather nerd, great record keeping. I think it all starts with days off school for snowfall events and then it snowballs from there, excuse the pun. Then it moves to storms of all sorts, mine was the Great Storm in England in October 1987. That's the one that got me hooked. Get working on that calendar Grace !

Graces7

That walk home from school in thick fog haunts me. We cope when it happens! There were about five of us, and the phrase not being able to see your hand in front of your face applies. Industrial Lancashire in the 1950s.... Smog. It was across bare open farmland. Just ordinary outdoor clothes. Blind! No footpaths.

Clogher16

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119909721#Comment_119909721

Have a wonderful winter out there Graces7.

St Francis had that great sense to know that all things happen for a reason and that no good effort goes to naught regardless what obstacles are put in the way. We do not take to ourselves the gifts we receive but pass them on as information sharing in all things small and great.

Take care of yourself.

Graces7

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119913478#Comment_119913478

Let you into a secret.. I LOVE all weather and especially what folk call " bad weather"!!! Love deluges, storms, snowfall... and far happier then than in boring summer days of sun.... Half past five here am and the rain is battering the roof ( in a glorified trailer) and making me an integral part of it all,,, Later I wll see the dawn slowly slowly shining light ... And when it snows!!!! I lived up in the Outer Orkneys for a decade and OH MY! The snow and the gales.. One recorded 124 MILES per hour gusts and I had livestock to feed, SORRY; old lady and her memories!!!

Stundon93

Severe thunderstorms of August 31 2005. Forecast was for only thundery showers that day but that afternoon we had one of the loudest thunderstorms I have ever experienced in Limerick and some of the heaviest rain as well. Looks like it was a modified spanish plume. Low pressure system from bay of biscay moved to Southeast Ireland and was still deepening. Thunderstorms developed ahead of its slow moving cold front that pushed across ireland. Strong wind sheer ahead of that low pressure system.

pauldry

January 1974 I was born and there was a vicious storm that knocked out power in the hospital

Summers in the 70s as a kid generally remember it being dry lots.

Summers 1983 and 1984 remember sweating at times as temperatures neared 30c for a few days

Summers 1985 and 1986 remember it raining and raining and raining and the priests praying for fine weather which came in September

The 90s remember a few very mild Winters especially 1998. Not much snow that decade but we did have a white Christmas in 1995.

Summer 1995 remember it 25 to 30c on many many days and August being sunny right through.

Late December 2000 blizzards in the West several inches of snow in many counties.

That's far enough

Of course the Christmas storms mentioned above and the loss if power for days. Having pints in candlelit pubs and paying into wide open tills. Weren't we fierce honest.