Tuesday 12th - Strong winds, Heavy Rain & Surprise Snow

That's interesting, snow ghost, I think that's probably related to the pool of colder air that sat over western Ireland on Monday being picked up by the storm and dragged through the northwest. This storm has not been a perfectly aligned rain-snow situation but I've been plotting some reports from earlier, and the general outcome seems to be that the rain-snow line started around 250-300 metres in the south and dropped gradually to near sea level in the northwest, and to near 50 metres in the east, so a bit complicated, maybe about 100 metres in Kilkenny from a few various reports, but I'm sure it's not cleanly organized.

If that storm had taken a track 50 miles further west, there might well have been a country-wide snowstorm today, and it had taken a track 50 miles east, the severe winds that hit Kerry might have been more widespread, and the almost as severe winds in Cork and Waterford would have caught the east and northwest as well, but then almost everyone would have had rain.

Anyway, as a general weather "addict" I have to confess this has been a really fascinating storm to watch but I am glad I am not actually in it, had my fill of sloppy mixed messy storms over the years. They get some awful ones in Ontario, I once recorded something like 12 inches of snow followed by an inch of freezing rain in a two-day period back in January of 1968, this covered the ground with frozen snow, huge tree branches covered with ice, even the hydro-electric lines came down in it and power was out for days.

This was before my time, but there was once a storm here in Vancouver that dropped two feet of snow followed by several inches of rain, and roofs were caving in all over the city, think that was in the 1930s some time.

Oh, I should mention about the Achill tornado report, I think that was probably inevitable given the power of the storm and the strong winds that some place would see rotation of a cell, in fact there were probably a few others that went unseen here or there maybe over parts of Kerry, from the looks of the radar around 0600. I'm wondering if any Kerry folk are on this thread now, any updates on damage locally?

Low lying areas across the midlands, east and north are continuing to see snow, with some certainly sticking.Not sure where the ludicrous comments about only elevated areas are being founded on.
Portlaoise bypass almost closed - down to one lane -yes sea level!

As ground temps remain below freezing, as they did last night, it's very clear to me that away from the south there is no thaw.
Roads will be lethal tonight and tomorrow morning with sleet, snow freezing on contact. I fully expect Dublin's sleetiness to turn to snow also as the heavier ppn moves east decreasing marginality.
The beeb called this last night and so did I
As for Met Eireann, I'll let you be the judge

JanuarySnowstor wrote: »

Low lying areas across the midlands, east and north are continuing to see snow, with some certainly sticking.Not sure where the ludicrous comments about only elevated areas are being founded on.
Portlaoise bypass almost closed - down to one lane -yes sea level!

As ground temps remain below freezing, as they did last night, it's very clear to me that away from the south there is no thaw.
Roads will be lethal tonight and tomorrow morning with sleet, snow freezing on contact. I fully expect Dublin's sleetiness to turn to snow also as the heavier ppn moves east decreasing marginality.
The beeb called this last night and so did I
As for Met Eireann, I'll let you be the judge

Whoa now, don't climb too far up that high horse.

I've spoken to several people now this evening, and the only people reporting snow are relations in Ballinteer (high ground in Dublin), another in the hills north of Kilkenny and it wasn't even snowing where I'm from, higher ground in Louth. It looks like sleet's falling in most of Dublin and in the city centre it's just cold rain. I'm pretty sure the Portlaoise bypass isn't at sea level either...

Granted Dublin isn't the full story but this snow isn't falling everywhere there is ppn. I haven't made claims about it being limited to >150m asl but certainly I wouldn't call any such claims ludicrous either.

kingshankly wrote: »

wouldnt say hes a big hit with the women so;)

She:pac::pac: wouldn't say she's a big hit with the men either with that though:p

M.T. Cranium wrote: »

That's interesting, snow ghost, I think that's probably related to the pool of colder air that sat over western Ireland on Monday being picked up by the storm and dragged through the northwest. This storm has not been a perfectly aligned rain-snow situation but I've been plotting some reports from earlier, and the general outcome seems to be that the rain-snow line started around 250-300 metres in the south and dropped gradually to near sea level in the northwest, and to near 50 metres in the east, so a bit complicated, maybe about 100 metres in Kilkenny from a few various reports, but I'm sure it's not cleanly organized.

If that storm had taken a track 50 miles further west, there might well have been a country-wide snowstorm today, and it had taken a track 50 miles east, the severe winds that hit Kerry might have been more widespread, and the almost as severe winds in Cork and Waterford would have caught the east and northwest as well, but then almost everyone would have had rain.

Anyway, as a general weather "addict" I have to confess this has been a really fascinating storm to watch but I am glad I am not actually in it, had my fill of sloppy mixed messy storms over the years. They get some awful ones in Ontario, I once recorded something like 12 inches of snow followed by an inch of freezing rain in a two-day period back in January of 1968, this covered the ground with frozen snow, huge tree branches covered with ice, even the hydro-electric lines came down in it and power was out for days.

This was before my time, but there was once a storm here in Vancouver that dropped two feet of snow followed by several inches of rain, and roofs were caving in all over the city, think that was in the 1930s some time.

Oh, I should mention about the Achill tornado report, I think that was probably inevitable given the power of the storm and the strong winds that some place would see rotation of a cell, in fact there were probably a few others that went unseen here or there maybe over parts of Kerry, from the looks of the radar around 0600. I'm wondering if any Kerry folk are on this thread now, any updates on damage locally?

Many thanks for your insight M.T.

BTW, I don't give out praise lightly, but given your relentless dedication and commitment to excellent weather reporting in this part of the world, I definitely think you should set up your own forecasting website, with videocasts of you doing your daily forecasts.

All the best.

I think Jean thought she was going to have to do that forecast without graphics

Wow ! Didn't think we would get to 100 pages today

JanuarySnowstor wrote: »

Low lying areas across the midlands, east and north are continuing to see snow, with some certainly sticking.Not sure where the ludicrous comments about only elevated areas are being founded on.
Portlaoise bypass almost closed - down to one lane -yes sea level!

As ground temps remain below freezing, as they did last night, it's very clear to me that away from the south there is no thaw.
Roads will be lethal tonight and tomorrow morning with sleet, snow freezing on contact. I fully expect Dublin's sleetiness to turn to snow also as the heavier ppn moves east decreasing marginality.
The beeb called this last night and so did I
As for Met Eireann, I'll let you be the judge

If you called it last night januarysnowstor, how come you failed to mention that Mayo would get the blizzards and heavy snow that we did?

holly1 wrote: »

Nothing much happening here in Clane,not much wind but it is very cold.It's spitting rain all evening.What are we to expect???

Armageddon... :D:D;)

Seriously: Lots of rain by the look of it