Severe thunderstorms, possible mesoscale convective system on August 10 1997

Stundon93

Hello all

So I recently discovered on YouTube a severe thunderstorm, possible mesoscale convective system that moved through Dublin on August 10 1997. It was an amazing thunderstorm, by Irish standards at least. Does anyone have any memories of that event or archived forecasts? 

Anyone know if other parts of the country were hit by thunderstorms that day? It would be interesting to see what the synoptic situation was at that time. 

highdef

Probably the same video as this one that I shot in Baldoyle. Had not been able to date it accurately so your 10th August date would likely be the same as this video. I've the full length version somewhere bit this is the short version, with the closest strikes from about 1:20. The strike with the thunder that begins before the lightning flashes finish caused damage to six houses just over 100 metres to the rear of the camera viewpoint.

https://youtu.be/ToHH7kVra6s?si=yf99Oy3Om5td_lV3

PukkaStukka

I remember that storm as I had started a new job a few weeks before. It started late on a Sunday evening. I recall the lightning was particularly brilliant and the storm was to the east of Dublin before drifting onshore. Likely it was a Welsh import.

Stundon93

Oh yes, this was the same video. I am actually visually impaired so I only listen to the audio from the videos. I talked to another meteorologist about this event in particular, and they said that charts for that day show a modified Spanish plume scenario.

CelticRambler

Can't be sure it was the same storm, and I wasn't in the country myself, but it sounds like the one my mother told me about after the event. Said she'd never experienced anything like it in her 50-odd years (nor since) - non-stop thunder-and-lightning for about 24 hours, maybe longer, and not much delay between the lightning and the thunder. She'd have been fairly well used to severe continental thunderstorms too, so not prone to exaggeration. She's based in South Dublin and I wasn't getting much news from the country cousins back then so don't know how things were in other parts of the country.

Stundon93

I wonder if that would have been the 1985 event?

CelticRambler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121961949#Comment_121961949

Nope. I was still living at home in 1985 so wouldn't have been getting extreme weather news from my mother! :-)