ST PATRICK'S DAY WEATHER.

Robwindstorm · 07-03-2026 11:14PM #1

This is a weather watch for the big day parades. March is a very unpredictable month with the old saying of 'March of many weather's ' ringing very true. With models showing no agreement of a settled high pressure over Ireland as yet, the most we can hope for is a ridge to build at the right time. In other words a ' pet day '.

GFS showing a fully developed storm 945hp to our NW with no direct hit, but sending a squally rainband across the country during the midday period, clearing to sunshine and showers from the west. Slacker winds once the rain band clears.

ECM showing a mainly dry, calm day but chilly . Sunshine would be possible from this ridge extending from the NW but we could also be under dank grey skies .

Here's some past paddy's day weather from my location in Meath.

2015 foggy start, dry, mainly cloudy, cold 6c. Frost and fog later.

2016 Dry, sunshine, calm 10c

2017 Wet and cold 8c

2018 Very cold, blizzard conditions (mini beast) 2 inches of lying snow. Slow afternoon thaw. 2c

2019 Early frost and snow showers. Good sunny spells with the odd shower. 8c

2020 Wet day with persistent moderate rain. 10c

2021 Dry and sunny, mild 13c

2022 Mainly dry, sunny spells, outbreak of light afternoon rain 11c. Frost later.

2023 Wet start with persistent rain. Dry afternoon 12c

2024 Damp, misty rain, some brightness later 9c

2025 Dry, cloudy, cold east wind 7c.

Robwindstorm · 08-03-2026 11:20AM

Other notable St Patrick's day weather:

SNOW : 1979 - NE winds from an Artic airmass brings widespread snow particularly along the East and Midlands .

2018- Mini Beast from the East brings blizzard conditions to much of the east with lying snow.

COLDEST: 1989 - Collooney Co. SLIGO -8C followed by dry sunny conditions (post 1940 records)

WARMEST: Ashford Co. Wicklow 19.6C 2005 (post 1940 records)

RAINFALL : Glenvickee Co. Kerry 80.7mm 1964 (post 1940 records)

TORNADO: Summerhill Co. Meath 1995. Resulting from a showery trough bringing widespread thunderstorms from a low pressure situated over Scotland feeding a strong WNW flow.

Oscar Bravo · 08-03-2026 12:45PM

St Patricks day weather : if its dry ile watch the local parade from outside the pub. If its wet ile watch the parade from inside the local.

Robwindstorm · 08-03-2026 12:51PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124295727#Comment_124295727

Don't forget the way it's falling on a Tuesday this year, there's work and school on Wednesday morning 😵‍💫

adocholiday · 08-03-2026 08:13PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124295738#Comment_124295738

This is the bit that gets me every year. In my view Paddy's Day should always be a Sunday with Monday as the bank holiday. I actually think it would benefit the economy massively. I personally don't go out at all on Paddy's day when I've work the next day, bad enough being hung over when not at the desk. But a discussion for a different forum maybe!

Robwindstorm · 08-03-2026 10:37PM

The latest main model watching for St Patrick's day show the ECM now in a more unsettled theme and lines up very similar to the GFS. The full blown storm to our northwest on the GFS yesterday is now replaced with a complex large flabby low instead. Both models give a cold airmass over Ireland with wet and blustery weather.

Robwindstorm · 09-03-2026 01:23PM

Weather Folklore has it believe that St Patrick ordained that any meetings held on his day would always be 'showery '.

A few more earlier notable Weather events on St Patrick's day :

1861 The 'Belfast News' reported a severe storm with heavy hail,sleet and snow with WNW winds damaging roofs and cancelling all outdoor celebrations.

1867: The ' Cork Constitution ' reports a strong gale damaging roofs and trees and causing a cancellation of shipping (steamers).

Larbre34 · 09-03-2026 03:24PM

At this remove it appears either High Pressure will be present, or at worst a slack low.

Either way, it will be cold. Worst case 2-5⁰C with an easterly and plenty of sunshine. Best case 7-9⁰C and overcast with some mist and drizzle.

beggars_bush · 09-03-2026 09:40PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124296645#Comment_124296645

It's a national holiday, not an excuse to go drinking.

Anyway once it's dry I'm happy

Robwindstorm · 09-03-2026 10:30PM

The ECM is now showing a settled St Patrick's day in a slacker southerly flow with sunny spells particularly for the east. This outcome is relying on a blocking high over Europe having an influence on our weather and the large low pressure system keeping to the southwest of Iceland. Ideal parade weather

The GFS has the large low pressure system positioned to the south of Iceland sending a weather front across Ireland. This weather front becomes slow moving over the country as it is stalled by the blocking high over Europe. This gives us a wet miserable day.

Plenty of time for changes.

Neddyusa · 10-03-2026 12:01AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124298505#Comment_124298505

Think you might have your best and worst mixed up there?! 😃

Robwindstorm · 10-03-2026 12:47PM

The GFS is still sticking for an unsettled paddy's day with a slow moving band of rain crossing the country.

The ECM has backed off the settled conditions and is more in line with the GFS for now.

It's still a week away so hopefully there will be a change.

Thelonious Monk · 10-03-2026 05:23PM

Anyone remember the one in I think 97 or 98 where it was beautiful and like 17c or something? I think I was still underage but managed to get served in a packed Zanzibar

Robwindstorm · 10-03-2026 09:29PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124301657#Comment_124301657

That's right I remember that period. The problem is when I checked both years archives they both appear to have been settled for St Patrick's day, but I think it was 1997 that had sunshine and a lovely mild southerly stretch for the east in particular that reached17c.

I can't remark too much about the underage bit 😐

joebloggs32 · 10-03-2026 11:31PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124301657#Comment_124301657

I remember it vividly. Played a hurling match that day and it was like a summers day with the heat during the game. May have been 1999

PukkaStukka · 10-03-2026 11:46PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124303016#Comment_124303016

St Patrick's day 1999 was a scorcher. I spent most of it painting the upstairs of my former home before it went on the market. A few weeks later in April, we had an inch of snow!

.Donegal. · 10-03-2026 11:49PM

2003 I remember it was very warm at the parade.

Robwindstorm · 10-03-2026 11:58PM

Mmm, is there some special memory encrypted in that post Donegal ?

Robwindstorm · 11-03-2026 01:27PM

GFS still sticking with the unsettled theme. The European high is in place but not far enough west for us. If anything it halts the progression of the rainband and stalls it over the east for a wet parade in Dublin for example. The rain band approaches the west coast in early morning and has a better chance of drying up behind it with showers. The ECM is rather similar. Hopefully there might be a westward shift in the high like the ECM hinted a couple of days back.

Robwindstorm · 11-03-2026 01:34PM

Yes, 1999 was the one I was trying to think of , sunshine and 17c. Looks like we had a good couple of paddy's day's back then !

Weather diary located for 1999 .A bit small and mouldy 😁

kingshankly · 11-03-2026 03:17PM

there was a paddy’s day around 2000 I remember was very pleasant it’s not 2005 but a few years before that

Robwindstorm · 11-03-2026 03:49PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124304256#Comment_124304256

Ye your right, checked the archives ( I couldn't be trying to route out more diaries in the attic 😊). 2000 had lovely weather for paddy's day. 1997 ,98, 99 and 2000 good, how lucky were we those years. 2001 was showery with a bitter easterly.

Robwindstorm · 12-03-2026 01:43PM

OK, unfortunately it still looks unsettled for St Patrick's day. Strong southwesterly winds on both the GFS and ECM on St Patrick's day eve ,herald heavy rain on the west coast by early morning on the 17th. This weather front is slow moving across the country as it meets the fringes of the blocking European high. A shallow low forms to the south of Ireland along this slow moving front. At the moment it's down to the timing of this rain's arrival .Not too windy, it's just the wet ☹️

Robwindstorm · 13-03-2026 06:01PM

A bit of good news for some now showing on the ECM, GFS and UK models. The westward push of the European high is stronger now but unfortunately it's influence is more after St Patrick's day . After a windy murky early start the rain shows up around dawn on the west coast and tries to move eastward but becomes stalled across the centre of the country from north to south. The Dublin parade may now escape the main rainband as indeed will most afternoon parades in the east. Hopefully the rain won't be too disruptive to the west and midlands parades, maybe it might break up to outbreaks instead. Still time for changes as the steering low loses power in the Atlantic and comes against our high pressure friend.

Robwindstorm · 15-03-2026 12:40PM

The latest guidance for St Patrick's day is really a lucky bag at this stage. The GFS, ECM and UK models are pretty aligned as regards high pressure and low pressure positioning but the devil is in the detail. Unfortunately the high pressure building is a day late for giving us a dry paddy's day. There's a strong but mild SW breeze giving us fairly widespread mild 12C . However the main rainband approaches the west coast at about 6am and makes very slow movements east . The rest of us might have damp murky drizzley bits ahead of the rain. The rainband may break up to outbreaks as it heads to the east at about 3pm , some parades getting very little while the parish down the road gets a heavier burst. The west stays more or less wet and murky but hopefully nothing too extreme to spoil the festivities.

I wish everyone a happy and safe St Patrick's day and stay tuned to Met Eireann on Monday night to see what attire to wear. 🇮🇪☘️

sryanbruen · 15-03-2026 02:04PM

St. Patrick's Day weather records for interest.

As some have noted, 1999 was a very mild St. Patrick's Day. Athy (Kildare) got to 18.5C that day. 1990 was another with a big foehn effect over Dublin that day including 18.7C in Glasnevin.

1979 and 2018 were white St. Patrick's Days. However, the peak of both of those snow events occurred on the 18th with Dublin Apt reporting 9cm at 9am on 18th March 1979 and Casement reporting 5cm at 12pm on 18th March 2018.

sryanbruen · 17-03-2026 11:14AM

It's a beautiful start to St. Patrick's Day in Dublin with a bit of a mountain shadow giving blue skies here. Breezy but mild. Rain in the mid-west on the radar.

OldRio · 17-03-2026 11:47AM

Very windy here in Leitrim. Local parade at 2pm. Hope the rain holds off.

Enjoy your day everyone. Whatever you are at.

Storm 10 · 17-03-2026 11:49AM

Just had very heavy rain I in Galway now with front moving in feels cold in gusty wind

z80CPU · 17-03-2026 11:59AM

Fail here in West Sligo.

Gusty. Rain last night.

Damp.

yagan · 17-03-2026 12:02PM

Very blustery in Cork harbour, but importantly that ambient air temp is rising enough to make standing around waiting for a parade doable. I tried gardening yesterday but the air temp and damp wind made it miserable.

ST PATRICK'S DAY WEATHER.

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