Convection /Thunderstorm discussion Spring /Summer 2026

Dazler97 · 02-06-2026 01:47PM

I slept through it with all meds I’m on ffs like

Apothic_Red · 02-06-2026 01:49PM

Naas getting it atm

pad199207 · 02-06-2026 01:51PM

Very bright lightning over Naas now

leprechauntimmer123 · 02-06-2026 01:53PM

Heavy rain D12, bit gusty too

The Macho Man · 02-06-2026 02:14PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124518053#Comment_124518053

That was Hurricane Charlie. It was wild.

sryanbruen · 02-06-2026 02:17PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124518700#Comment_124518700

June 1986 actually. Lots of lightning and record rainfall rates. 52.2mm in Clonroche in one hour on June 27th, the record hourly total for Ireland.

Not to mention July 1985 which every Irish man that lived through it seems to remember.

Charley was a rainstorm in late August 1986.

leprechauntimmer123 · 02-06-2026 02:18PM

Sparkling convection rn NW of me. Dark bases, heading SE towards our area too. See if I can grow tall enough for a strike, since these are photogenic storms

leprechauntimmer123 · 02-06-2026 02:19PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124518710#Comment_124518710

Wish something like that July night would transpire again. The accounts of it were quite impressive. Here goes to wishing for a lightning storm like it this year..

leprechauntimmer123 · 02-06-2026 02:46PM

Strong gusts and lashing rain currently, activity isn't tall enough for anything although I mightve heard a rumble of thunder with it.

Thunder87 · 02-06-2026 03:07PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124518287#Comment_124518287

I think some of the comments last night were a bit caught up in the moment! It was a nice storm but just a single cell that passed over in less than half an hour. May/June 2023 was a lot more widespread and longer lasting, at least from my experience

leprechauntimmer123 · 02-06-2026 03:23PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124518867#Comment_124518867

I have to agree here. I checked llightningmaps and only a handful of sferics were shown. Mightve bean the odd really loud rumble and good bit of lightning, but it wasn't a particularly persistent storm in anyway

PukkaStukka · 02-06-2026 03:43PM

Speaking of lightning detection websites, I looked at the Blitzortung live lightning map webpage and app, netweather lightning and Met Eireann rainfall radar, and none of them accurately reported the amount of lightning actually witnessed to the eye. I was witnessing up to 6 strikes a minute at one stage and that number wasn't matched with the reported online occurrences

no.8 · 02-06-2026 03:46PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124518897#Comment_124518897

I agree that it wasn't as intensive, or as large as some storms of old, however the data on recorded spherics is incorrect. Having witnessed the cell pass by at a short distance, but not directly overhead, I must have seen at least 30 flashes over a 30min period. Still, a nice change to a few disappointing years in the East for the most part (convection-wise).

Robwindstorm · 02-06-2026 03:57PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124517336#Comment_124517336

It looks like your right Meteorite. Not much storm activity or potential showing up. Tomorrow looks the best bet. Your turning out to be a Master at Thunderstorm forecasting ⚡️⛈️

Dazler97 · 02-06-2026 04:29PM

watching the Met Office Deep Dive and tomorrow looks good for convention hopefully we get some more thunderstorms 🌩️

The Macho Man · 02-06-2026 05:02PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124518710#Comment_124518710

Well, if you were living in my part of Dublin at the time trust me, there was plenty of lightning associated with Charlie. For a good sustained period too!

Needmoretea · 02-06-2026 06:09PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124518867#Comment_124518867

I suppose we've been so starved of thunder activity in parts of Dublin anyway, that last night's storm felt like a big deal. True it was over in half an hour or maybe more but it seemed to pack in a lot of activity in that time.

I don't think we got the brunt of it in Dublin 9 but still was enough to wake me anyway :-)

Dogsdodogsstuff · 02-06-2026 06:18PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124518700#Comment_124518700

I was young but remember the thunder and lightening during the night and I think bayside train status was flooded.

waterfaerie · 02-06-2026 07:36PM

I spent most of my life being confident that I remembered Hurricane Charlie. I remember it so vividly. I was in junior or senior infants and I remember something about being kept in school waiting because it wasn't safe for parents to come and collect us, or something like that. That part is a bit vague but I remember the scene so well and can picture it vividly.

The whole class were standing looking out the window and all sorts of things were blowing down the road. At one point I saw what I thought was a whole tree, but I suppose it could have been a big part of a tree, blowing along right in front of us and after that the teacher made us keep back from the window.

I've told so many people that story over the years and nobody ever questioned it. Just over a year ago, I think it was after storm Eowyn, I was talking to my husband about it, looking up about past storms and possibly even reading stuff on here, and I couldn't believe what I read. Not only did Hurricane Charlie happen during August but it was over the weekend, was at its worst overnight and I couldn't possibly have been in school. It was some shock to discover!

I don't know what storm I remember but I can only imagine I must have confused the memory because the adults must have all been talking about the storm and comparing it to Charlie.

Sorry that was a bit off topic but I thought some of you might find it interesting anyway! I'd love to know what I could be remembering if anyone has any ideas.

No thunderstorms here so far these last few days in south Mayo anyway, not even a distant rumble.

Robwindstorm · 02-06-2026 08:18PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124519576#Comment_124519576

It may have been the powerful windstorm of February 1988. I was in secondary school and was ushered home by the principle who was standing in the middle of the street. The slates were blowing off the school and nearby houses.

Showery in Meath from late afternoon but tomorrow could produce some hefty thunderstorms.

Meteorite58 · 02-06-2026 10:03PM

Upper Low and associated cool pool aiding instability during the trough transiting the country tomorrow, lot of shear and upper vorticity available and the Jet is over parts of the country for a time. Big convective showers, some of hail, funnels possible and localized spot flooding I would think, breezy /blustery and gusty in some of those convective showers. Could get a storm just about anywhere but will possibly increase with chance as the trough crosses the country from SW to NE in the afternoon during the modest peak temperatures, picking up strength through the midlands , N and into the E and NE. could get a few hefty storms more so towards the E, N and NE in the afternoon.

sryanbruen · 02-06-2026 10:08PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124519175#Comment_124519175

If you could find a reference to thunder or lightning during Charley then I'd appreciate as I've never seen it talked about as a "thunder"storm, just pure intense heavy rain. I can't speak for it beyond that as I was negative 14 years old 😂

paulhac · 02-06-2026 10:47PM

got this from Grok AI………

Yes, there were thunderstorms (including lightning and thunder) associated with the remnants of Hurricane Charley (often called Charlie in Ireland) in 1986.

Hurricane Charley made landfall in North Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane before weakening and transitioning into an extratropical cyclone over the Atlantic. By the time its remnants reached Ireland on August 25, 1986, it brought record-breaking heavy rainfall, strong winds (gusts up to ~65 mph / 105 km/h), and widespread flooding—especially in Dublin and Wicklow—but it was no longer a tropical system.

Thunderstorms during the event

Contemporary reports and eyewitness accounts confirm thunder and lightning occurred, particularly in the Dublin area and east coast. People recalled:

• Fork lightning visible during the day.

• Lightning strikes (including one that reportedly set a house on fire).

• Thunder accompanying the heavy rain and wind.

This fits with the stormy, unstable nature of the extratropical low, which deepened as it approached Ireland and produced intense convective rainfall capable of generating electrical activity.

Official meteorological summaries emphasize the extreme rainfall (records like 200+ mm / ~8+ inches in 24 hours at some spots, up to 280 mm at Kippure) and flooding more than thunder, but personal memories and news coverage consistently include lightning.

It was one of Ireland’s most memorable weather events of the late 20th century due to the flooding and damage, with several deaths reported (mostly from flooding/drownings).

I personally don’t recall any thunder back then.

paulhac · 02-06-2026 10:57PM

some more from Grok……

Yes, specifically in Dublin during the remnants of Hurricane Charley (often spelled Charlie) on August 25, 1986.

Key details for Dublin:

• The storm brought torrential rain, strong winds (gusts around 65 mph / 105 km/h), and thunderstorms with lightning.

• Eyewitnesses in areas like Tallaght (south Dublin) reported seeing fork lightning visible in the distance during the afternoon/daytime, which stood out against the stormy sky.

• There were reports of lightning strikes, including one that reportedly set a house on fire in a neighboring estate. Some locals recalled their own homes possibly being struck.

• Heavy rainfall caused severe flooding: 451 buildings in the Dublin area were flooded (some up to 8 ft / 2.4 m deep). The River Dodder burst its banks, affecting south Dublin particularly badly.

• Records were broken at Casement Aerodrome (near Dublin) for 6-hour and 12-hour rainfall totals.

It was described at the time as some of the worst flooding in Dublin’s history. The combination of an unstable extratropical low and orographic lift (from the Wicklow Mountains nearby) helped fuel the convective activity that produced the thunder and lightning.

Thunder87 · 02-06-2026 10:59PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124518954#Comment_124518954

Yeah, I noticed the same, I checked the netweather radar some time after 3am and there were only 5 or 6 sferics on it yet I'd say I heard more like 20-30 rumbles by that stage

dacogawa · 03-06-2026 12:25AM

The sunset before the lightning (my previous pic) on Wednesday night was amazing, I've too many pictures of it. The rain didn't reach the ground but caught the light, it was so warm and yet the breeze had a proper chill in it.

Sandymount Strand, 27th May 2026

sryanbruen · 03-06-2026 10:09AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124519963#Comment_124519963

AI is not a reputable source and full of misinformation. Wasting your time.

Elmer Blooker · 03-06-2026 11:05AM

Met Eireann’s 8 page report on ‘Charley’ in Extreme Weather Events makes no mention of thunderstorm activity, I remember the terrifying storm of the previous year so I obviously remember ‘Charley’ and cannot remember any thunderstorms. I do remember a big thunderstorm at the end of June ‘86 and to show you how good my memory is it was the night before the World Cup final - ‘the Maradona World Cup’

Meteorite58 · 03-06-2026 11:07AM

Quite a blustery wet afternoon in places and the models would appear to show with the increased chance of thunderstorms over a fairly wide area from early afternoon, could easily get warnings. Heavy blustery or squally convective showers which might also contain hail. Possibly peaking in the midlands, N Midlands N, NE and E.

Upper temperatures quite cool for time of year and a fair bit of shear available.