Winter 2025/26 - General Discussion

Ros4Sam24 · 10-10-2025 10:25PM

Anticyclonic gloom? Fear not, CFS filth for February and March

One mental run!

Gonzo · 11-10-2025 01:19AM

Looks great but about a 0% chance of verifying, we'll have warm moist southwesterlies most of the time and the odd north-western front bringing cold rain for most the country but a some wet snow in the midlands.

TheMilkyPirate · 12-10-2025 03:11PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123896310#Comment_123896310

Ever the optimist 🙄

giveitholly · 12-10-2025 03:13PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123896310#Comment_123896310

Was snowed in for a week here in tipp last January,and it wasn't cold rain that caused that

Gonzo · 13-10-2025 12:32AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123899640#Comment_123899640

I'm well aware of the significant snowfall that happened early 2025 in the South west and parts of the midlands but for most of us it was a miserable cold rain event that lasted about 30 hours and I got lucky with an hour of snow at the end of it. Tipperary is very well positioned for these style of events to stay as snow due to their very inland position well away from the modification of the Irish Sea which turns everything to rain in such events.

Here in Meath it's been bad since 2019 for snow, barely anything, a few flakes in some lucky spots but not enough to balance a snowball on a postage stamp since 2018, it's been grim and the only place I can think grimmer than Meath for lack of snow in the entire country is Louth, they have had nothing at all.

We need an easterly, a few posters here think it's weird how I downplay every winter but when you haven't seen a decent fall of snow in almost 10 years you have to wonder, we only live so long an see decent snow events only a couple of times in our livetime. I just want the next one to be soon so that i'm not too old to enjoy it.

Loughc · 13-10-2025 09:16AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123899636#Comment_123899636

Technically he’s being a realist. Move to the east coast and you’ll understand our pain and disappointment then.

TheMilkyPirate · 13-10-2025 10:39AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123900949#Comment_123900949

I live on the east coast.

Gonzo · 13-10-2025 11:10AM

Not all of Leinster has had it as bad as Meath and Louth, parts of Dublin mainly coastal have done ok and more southern areas like Carlow and Kilkenny which are situated well inland and shielded from the warming of the Irish sea onshore breezes.

highdef · 13-10-2025 11:52AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123901321#Comment_123901321

Parts of Longford have had a few snowfalls in recent winters that remained on the ground but even there, elevation is crucial most of the time, and with the county being mainly low and flat, that's most of the populated areas out of the snow zone. I recall an occasion in early Spring 2023, there were several hours of moderate to heavy snow overnight and into the following morning. Longford town, at about 50m ASL (+/- 10m or so) was very wet, with just some slush on cars and grass. My home, less than 8km away as the crow flies, had 12cm of (very very wet and heavy) lying snow. The difference is altitude was only about 50m. The wind was from the east and the land rises to a little over 130m to the immediate east of the house so I was likely to have been "borrowing" some of the slightly colder air that would have been present there.

There was an even more extreme case in the Longford town area that day. There's a road that begins just south east of the railway station in the town called Farnagh Hill. The beginning of the road at the town end is at about 55m ASL. The end of the road at the high end is at about 110m ASL, and this is not far from the summit of the hill. The distance from either end is a little over 1km. The road is steepest for the first 700m, gaining about 50m in altitude. There was just slush at the town end of the road and this was the case for about 500m distance up the hill. It transitioned from slush to about 10cm lying snow in about 300m distance of road travelled and the top end of the road was a winter wonderland.

Gonzo · 13-10-2025 12:03PM

The cold rain/snow event last January was extremely marginal here at Dunshaughlin. Cold rain for about 30 hours and the final hour was snow just before it cleared. We're about 90m asl and to my knowledge only Dunshaughlin got that final hour of snow. Ratoath and Ashbourne being slightly further east closer to the Irish Sea and lower terrain saw absolutely no lying snow. There was also snow reported at Tara Hill which probably did slightly better than Dunshaughlin due to it's elevation.

Ros4Sam24 · 30-10-2025 11:19PM

Thread has gone a bit quiet but perhaps something bubbling in the background.

Ecm zonal winds showing the Pv getting its act together in the next two weeks before a weakening trend. A signal for an December Ssw in the early stages, perhaps…

Ros4Sam24 · 03-11-2025 09:22PM

Another very nice update from a cold perspective with Ecm zonal winds showing a considerable weakening as the signal for a late November/ early December Ssw is very much alive

If all was to go to plan the effects of a Ssw around that time could give us a real chance of very seasonal weather around the festive period but that is optimistic talk for now❄️🙏

Gonzo · 03-11-2025 09:41PM

An SSW late December could be epic but these are very rare and usually occur sometime in February or March when it's too late. We've had nothing but failure when it comes to easterlies/northeasterlies since 2019, maybe this will be our year.

JanuarySnowstor · 03-11-2025 11:27PM

The most exciting thing for me is that even though talk of an early SSW is still in FI this chart below is only a week out!! Look at that for deep cold out East!!

Snowbiee21 · 05-11-2025 10:58PM

things still swaying in the direction. Promising

tom1ie · 05-11-2025 11:02PM

When was the last time south Dublin caught snow that has stuck? It’s been a long long time.
Beast from the east Feb 2018?

Hairypoppins · 05-11-2025 11:47PM

There was a covering here in South West Dublin for a few hrs one Friday morning in March 2024

Billcarson · 06-11-2025 12:52AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123965730#Comment_123965730

Dec 2022? The last time i saw settling snow here in meath was Dec 8th 2022. South Dublin got it too during that fall which was early that night. Most of which was gone 2 days later.

sryanbruen · 06-11-2025 11:04AM

Did the south of Dublin not also have a covering early on 10th March 2023 as the low that brought strong easterly winds and rain on the 9th cleared eastward? Didn't last long but that looks perfect to me.

https://twitter.com/MeAgain36__/status/1634184994888269824

A good fall occurred on 8th/9th December 2022 definitely and I chased that one as because as usual at home in Dublin 13, the Irish Sea onshore wind was destroying my chances.

https://twitter.com/SnowbieWx/status/1601029616570810368

1st March 2024 was yet another case of onshore breeze destroying snow chances at home and this was the worst example of it I had ever seen as Clontarf only down the road was a winter wonderland. That was Dublin's biggest snow event since Storm Emma.

https://twitter.com/fishbelfast/status/1763509493311123640

Loughc · 06-11-2025 05:42PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123960345#Comment_123960345

I see the news vultures are all over this now and loading up 400 clickbait articles, I'm banking on a heatwave now given the clickbaiters are jumping on the bandwagon.

Calibos · 06-11-2025 05:52PM

There may have been a dusting in Bray since 2021 but if there was it was a few hours before it melted or was washed away. Cant remember tbh. Last snow that lasted a few days was the ninja snow of January 2021 that affected Bray and a few spots in coastal Dublin. Was only about 2-3cm IIRC but it froze afterwards and stayed around for 3 or 4 days IIRC.

I remember the crunch underfoot collecting takeaways during the post ‘Meaningful Christmas’ Covid lockdown.

brookers · 06-11-2025 06:05PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123960139#Comment_123960139

If I had a euro……………

Hippodrome Song Owl · 06-11-2025 07:39PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123965730#Comment_123965730

Dublin/Kildare border area (Lucan/Leixlip/Celbridge) had a light dusting on 5th Jan 2025 that melted within two hours. Also some wet slush for a few hours on 1st March 2024. A very light dusting on 8th December 2023 - not enough to cover the ground surface but stayed frozen on the ground for a while due to freezing conditions for over a week.

A decent covering that was the last time it was possible to make snowballs was on 3rd Mach 2019 but melted by the next day. The last decent snow lasting more than 24h was Beast From The East end Feb-March 2018.

Derekon2021 · 08-11-2025 08:23PM

Hi All,

Is MT Cranium a wee bit late this year with his winter forecast? I remember in the past he issued the forecast around the middle of October. Will be interested to see his predictions for the coming winter season. If it has already been issued, could a link be included in any reply to this post.

Thanks

D

mcriot29 · 08-11-2025 08:27PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123973325#Comment_123973325

he did he said this winter will be cloudy with a chance of meatballs

Ros4Sam24 · 08-11-2025 09:34PM

PV still looking very weak for the start of winter but an Ssw looking increasingly unlikely

Gfs 12z showing this well in FI as the Pv is stuck over Siberia with a strong Greenland block

Promising early developments but nothing to write home about yet..

Loughc · 08-11-2025 10:01PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123973564#Comment_123973564

I hate this rollercoaster sometimes

M.T. Cranium · 11-11-2025 08:01AM

I have the feeling there will be one episode of significant cold and snow this winter and otherwise a lot of mild weather. But I have not had much chance to study the situation as I like to do before giving out a long-range forecast. Will get to that later this week and update these first impressions by the weekend.

icesnowfrost · 11-11-2025 12:36PM

Hi guys, that time of year again. Is there a models thread and a Fantasy island thread set up yet. ❄️

esposito · 11-11-2025 12:43PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123979595#Comment_123979595

You seem to ask this every year! :D

Not winter yet so there is an FI Autumn thread and a general discussion winter thread for your viewing.

Winter 2025/26 - General Discussion

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