Why does Ireland have a reputation for it raining a lot?

Dave! · 31-07-2012 08:00PM

hardCopy wrote: »

It really doesn't rain as often as people think.

Someone posted stats on this in the cycling forum, the odds of getting caught in the rain on a daily commute are actually quite low.

What are the stats on it raining any time you want to do anything fun or outdoorsy?

Morag · 31-07-2012 08:01PM

Because it rains somewhere in the country 225 days of the year.

Bad Panda · 31-07-2012 08:10PM

hardCopy wrote: »

It really doesn't rain as often as people think.

Someone posted stats on this in the cycling forum, the odds of getting caught in the rain on a daily commute are actually quite low.

It does! It's a fact! Look at Met Eireann's stats.

Besides, nobody gives two fcuks whether it rains during a cyclists commute.:D

wexie · 31-07-2012 08:11PM

Downlinz wrote: »

When we're considerably below average in our rainfall?

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/geo_pre-geography-precipitation

averages mean nothing....according to your data the highest in the world would be Guinea with 3784 while the record for Ireland stands at 3964.9 for a year...

Pantsface · 31-07-2012 08:12PM

Downlinz wrote: »

Oh look the thanks whore, I bet you're a hit on youtube.

woooweeeee

humbert · 31-07-2012 08:13PM

Also, those stats are based on the largest city, which in Ireland's case would also be one of the driest.

Agricola · 31-07-2012 08:15PM

Sharrow wrote: »

Because it rains somewhere in the country 225 days of the year.

Seems low tbh!

ejmaztec · 31-07-2012 08:20PM

Downlinz wrote: »

Quite clearly it doesn't.

I hate to rain:pac: on your parade, but it clearly does. The whole country's even run by a big shower.

BurnsCarpenter · 31-07-2012 08:23PM

Downlinz wrote: »

Ok so what about western countries like the US and UK who are the main proprietors of the stereotype, don't have monsoon seasons and yet have more rain than us?

Much more convective rain in the US - intense quick downpours caused by hot air rising.

Irish rain tends to be frontal - weather systems moving in from the Atlantic. UK is similar to us I guess.

Madam_X · 31-07-2012 08:32PM

Downlinz wrote: »

Oh look the thanks whore, I bet you're a hit on youtube.

Better than arguing it doesn't rain that much in Ireland, just for the attention. You know it does rain a lot in Ireland.

31-07-2012 08:50PM

humbert wrote: »

Also, those stats are based on the largest city, which in Ireland's case would also be one of the driest.

If that's the case then it's a pretty pointless study to conduct in reference to the whole country. Derry/Donegal is pretty wet as is Connemara.
In fact to the best of my knowledge it rains every day in Gelnveagh National Park in Donegal.

shrewd · 31-07-2012 09:00PM

Gbear wrote: »

I lived in France and the kind of rain you'd get there would be infrequent torrential downpours and thunderstorms.

In Ireland it just drizzles all the time.

It's not the amount that it rains - it's the frequency.

Exactly!, and that site statistics must refer to the "amount of rains". i have lived in US,UK and Asia before and sure it rains heavily than Ireland but not as frequent.

Also,it rarely rains more than twice a day

up for anything · 31-07-2012 09:05PM

kfallon wrote: »

Cos it's always raining, hope that helps

Downlinz wrote: »

Oh look the thanks whore, I bet you're a hit on youtube.

With his waggly, smelly finger he certainly is.

Pessimist · 31-07-2012 09:10PM

The rain here is definitely lighter than most other countries, just that annoying on/off drizzle. The rain in countries like the US and Oz is so much heavier but less frequent.

Off topic, I'm from country Victoria in Oz and if I have to hear one more person tell me that my winter is warmer than summer in Ireland, I'll go insane :-)

hardCopy · 31-07-2012 09:10PM

Dublin is only the 10th rainiest city in Europe, with only 139 rainy days a year, way behind Amsterdam with 214, London with 226 and Copenhagen with a dismal 251. This really is very low when you consider that on many of those 139 days it may only rain for a few minutes.

Dublin is also dryer in millimetres of precipitation than Zurich, Milan, Munich, Amsterdam, Brussels, and Rome.

And that's just in comparison with other European cities.

http://web2.airmail.net/danb1/european.htm

Those stats only refer to Dublin, but then I do live in Dublin so it doesn't really matter if it rains in Connemara or Glenveigh every day (it doesn't, it rains 230 days a year in Galway, 183 days a year at Malin Head)

hardCopy · 31-07-2012 09:11PM

Dave! wrote: »

What are the stats on it raining any time you want to do anything fun or outdoorsy?

There's no such thing as bad weather, just poor choice of clothes!

woodoo · 31-07-2012 09:24PM

Interesting map of misery rain in Ireland:
http://www.met.ie/climate/rainfall.asp

The average number of wet days (days with more than 1mm of rain) ranges from about 150 days a year along the east and south-east coasts, to about 225 days a year in parts of the west. So don't be upset when we don't get sunny summers.

Madam_X · 31-07-2012 09:26PM

hardCopy wrote: »

There's no such thing as bad weather, just poor choice of clothes!

Don't agree. Bad weather makes you feel down. It's howling wind outside, been dark since way earlier than it would be if there wasn't so much cloud, the rain is bucketing.

That is bad weather.

Lawrence1895 · 31-07-2012 09:27PM

Blame it on the Germans. Heinrich Boell wrote about it in his book 'Irish Diaries'

thomasj · 31-07-2012 10:36PM

The simple fact is for this year we've had a dry cold winter and a wet wet summer!

While people don't care that its dry in the winter (in fact look at the amount of people on the weather forum looking for snow) the summer is that people want dry warm days and we don't get it so people moan and that's where we get the reputation

Icepick · 31-07-2012 11:13PM

eth0 wrote: »

Those countries at the top have tropical downpours and mostly sunny weather for the rest of the time.

We have a slow, annoying persistant supply of rain constantly. Less mm of rain but it spends more time raining

and also loads of snow in the mountains for some of the countries

allthedoyles · 31-07-2012 11:16PM

Its the jet-stream .........it won't move on

Oracle · 31-07-2012 11:18PM

hardCopy wrote: »

Dublin is only the 10th rainiest city in Europe, with only 139 rainy days a year, way behind Amsterdam with 214 ....

... and Amsterdam is way colder too. I was over there once nearly froze to death. :eek:

kowloon · 31-07-2012 11:24PM

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

Our rain is the wettest dampest type.

Big ole fat rayne.

notnumber · 31-07-2012 11:27PM

The big difference is cities like london amsterdam and others are likely to get a spell of Continental heat which always seems to stop short of extending as far as Ireland apart from the odd stray plume .Even when its not raining it looks like it will!

California On Ireland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XWAuoGg4jY

Even these dummies who dont know where Ireland is know its cold and wet ( and we drink alot of beer!)

Sea Filly · 31-07-2012 11:48PM

Onixx wrote: »

Better than arguing it doesn't rain that much in Ireland, just for the attention. You know it does rain a lot in Ireland.

This response seems harsh. Surely all thread-starters are, even in a small way, looking for attention? And as someone who walks to and from work every day, I don't often get soaked.

Sea Filly · 31-07-2012 11:51PM

Onixx wrote: »

Don't agree. Bad weather makes you some people feel down. It's howling wind outside, been dark since way earlier than it would be if there wasn't so much cloud, the rain is bucketing.

That is bad weather.

FYP

Duggys Housemate · 31-07-2012 11:52PM

As already pointed out Dublin is not that wet. We do tend to have more cloud cover though, miserable grey clouds.

MrStuffins · 31-07-2012 11:52PM

Sea Filly wrote: »

This response seems harsh. Surely all thread-starter are, even in a small way, looking for attention? And as someone who walks to and from work every day, I don't often get soaked.

For the last time, we don't want to buy any of your umbrellas!

i57dwun4yb1pt8 · 31-07-2012 11:53PM

we have the rain version of chinese water torture .

Why does Ireland have a reputation for it raining a lot?

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