Storm Eunice - Friday 18th February - Wind & Snow Potential

Time to book a lamp post methinks.

Storm Franklin Saturday morning????

And the gfs a frame later!

Storms and snow are not a match. This one's most definitely a storm!!

And last but not least the GEM

So where are we this morning. The storm has nudged further North and so has the snow risk. A larger mild sector now showing at least temporarily! The wind is my main concern especially for my location. Methinks a red for Clare, Kerry and Cork

The ECM and Arpege look to be on similar tracks now, through the inland south. That would tend to maximize the snow potential in central and northern counties, and keep extreme winds somewhat off the south coast (the strongest gradient depicted is a little too far south, although the winds coming in from the northwest into the Atlantic coast would be considerable).

As JS has summarized, some models are a bit further north and the ICON is well south.

Part of the problem for the models is that this storm has not really formed yet, it is supposed to develop very rapidly tonight along the frontal boundary laid down by departing Dudley, in a zone to the north of the Azores, and then whatever forms will run up along the frontal boundary wherever it stalls on Thursday night. Different models are estimating different locations for all that.

I have included a satellite image here which may update for later viewers, check the time stamp on it, but at present you'll see that in the central Atlantic there is not much development around 40N along this long trailing front; that is where Eunice is going to pop out into the world later.

Look for the enhanced cloud (jet streak) near 40N 40W and this is the general area of storm formation. They have a dedicated dropsonde indicated on upper air charts, there is an extremely strong low level jet in that area, 130 knots at 500 mb and 100 knots at 700 mb. These are very high values for those levels. At 250 mb it is a somewhat less unusual 200 knots. Those winds are howling away over top of a strong "thermocline" where the cold Labrador current has made a dent in the Gulf stream (SST values range from 2 C to 17 C over a rather short distance). But there is no organized low pressure system there yet, nor will there be much even by mid-day ...

The RGEM model which has a finer grid than the GGEM shows slow development to 12z Thursday (it is now 06z Wed) with a 997 mb low forming by that time at 47N 25W. By 36 hours this is predicted to be close to 50N 17W at 969 mbs and undergoing capture by a developing upper low.

Would say that there is so much development potential here that tracks cannot be entirely trusted yet, and certainly with those upper level wind parameters there is a risk of a damaging wind event in the south and/or southeast depending on track.

I don't think we're going to know the answer to the track mystery until well into Thursday at the rate this comes together.

Spare a thought for our "Dublin is the centre of the universe" snow chasing posters:

Unless you have a crystal ball showing you how this turns out it seems pretty premature (not to mention unhelpful) to be making such a post

Keep it south please, the very strong winds are looking a bit too close to where I am in Cork for my liking. The greenhouse won't survive what some models are predicting.

Anyone feel we got a bit of a storm taster last night?! Coastal Wicklow. No idea of direction or speeds, real weather boffin here but woke up hearing the wind buffet against the Velux about 2am. Few things that have previously been happy enough out there had been scattered around in the garden. Great craic this morning trying in the wind to put what had been the bungee secured cover back on the patio furniture! Still haven’t spotted where one of the solar lights ended up. Really looking forward to tonight!

I reckon the low centre will track right over the Munster area with rain and wind and some snow further North. Some gusts of 140kph likely on South Coast. Rest of country could get battered or lead a charmed life like many storms. May be Red South Orange Atlantic Yellow Rest and White North!