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Worst Irish summer ?

John Joe Jones

Was it 2008 ?

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RobertKK

Jpmarn wrote: »

Yes farmers had a dire time in 1985 and 1980 where the only choice of winter fodder was to dry out the grass (hay) or ensiling into a big pit (silage). This silage was not on for the majority of farms. It was popular with larger farms with free draining soils. The machinery used with get stuck on heavier land. For hay it was made with a lot of difficulty and was of very poor quality. In the late 80s and early 90s round or big bale silage became popular and is a solution to the majority of farms in our changeable summer weather.

So so true.

We made hay, as children we would stack the bales in the field, I bet you remember too, knots out and at the bottom on the square bales.

I think in 1986, the weather wasn't coming good again and we made pit silage, I was only a child, but looking back and the machinery we had then, all I can think of is the hardship my father must have had, no silage grab to move it...we only made it once and then it was round bales and then baled silage.

Though summers like 2012 would still give one nightmares...

RobertKK

My father says 1946 was a bad summer, and there was poor fodder for the cattle who had to endure the winter of 1947.
I remember 1985, another very wet summer.
Recently 2012 was awful.

For 2012 my weather station recorded the following rainfall:
June 178.6mm
July 83mm
August 130.6mm
Total 392.2mm

There was another summer in the mid 2000s that was really bad, had Kilkenny weather station then and it was something similar to 2012.

Jpmarn

mud_raker wrote: »

people have a habit of looking back and viewing things as either way better or way worse than they actually were , this is the case with viewing 1985 as being the worst ever , in reality if you look at statistics , 1985 wasn't even as wet as 2008 , let alone 2012 which takes top spot for the wettest summer and year on record

add to the fact that for farmers , machinery was smaller in 1985 and jobs took longer so it makes it look like things were especially grim during difficult conditions

Yes farmers had a dire time in 1985 and 1980 where the only choice of winter fodder was to dry out the grass (hay) or ensiling into a big pit (silage). This silage was not on for the majority of farms. It was popular with larger farms with free draining soils. The machinery used with get stuck on heavier land. For hay it was made with a lot of difficulty and was of very poor quality. In the late 80s and early 90s round or big bale silage became popular and is a solution to the majority of farms in our changeable summer weather.

Schadenfreudia

mud_raker wrote: »

people have a habit of looking back and viewing things as either way better or way worse than they actually were , this is the case with viewing 1985 as being the worst ever , in reality if you look at statistics , 1985 wasn't even as wet as 2008 , let alone 2012 which takes top spot for the wettest summer and year on record

add to the fact that for farmers , machinery was smaller in 1985 and jobs took longer so it makes it look like things were especially grim during difficult conditions

It's not just rainfall that makes a bad summer! It's duration (all three months); concentration (heavy downpours v same rain spread over much longer periods) the temperature, the amount of stormy weather.

For example August 2012 was warmer and dryer than average; two bad months will never make a record breaking season.

1985 tops the worst summer using multiple criteria.

And I'm not a farmer

mud_raker

people have a habit of looking back and viewing things as either way better or way worse than they actually were , this is the case with viewing 1985 as being the worst ever , in reality if you look at statistics , 1985 wasn't even as wet as 2008 , let alone 2012 which takes top spot for the wettest summer and year on record

add to the fact that for farmers , machinery was smaller in 1985 and jobs took longer so it makes it look like things were especially grim during difficult conditions

Sam Kade

Jpmarn wrote: »

I remember 1980 being a pretty poor summer. In recent years I have looked at the weather records for Shannon Airport and the season max temperature was only 22c making one of the coldest summer.

1980 wasn't bad 1981 was a washout.

Sam Kade

Schadenfreudia wrote: »

I can say, without fear of contradiction (:)), that 1985 was the worst summer in the past 50 years.

2012 would be up there with it.

Jpmarn

I remember 1980 being a pretty poor summer. In recent years I have looked at the weather records for Shannon Airport and the season max temperature was only 22c making one of the coldest summer.

Schadenfreudia

I can say, without fear of contradiction (:)), that 1985 was the worst summer in the past 50 years.

John Joe Jones

2010 was the best of the very bad lot from 2007-2012.

Harry Palmr

1985 will never be beaten! Worst year of utterly "mediocre" weather from start to finish that I can remember.

JM Skipton

Into The Blue wrote: »

In in trouble now, texted my wife to ask her when did we have a party around 06..

Turns out it was our engagement party, April 07. Doh!

Spare room for you tonight so!:D

D9Male

I lived in London from 2000 to early 2007. Every summer in Dublin was poor from 2007 to 2012. 07 and 09 in particular I seem to remember. For some bizarre reason each September seemed dry and settled. March and April too.

The last two years have redressed the balance a fair bit.

Into The Blue

JM Skipton wrote: »

05 and 06 were decent summers, I think you may be thinking of 07. we had a very dry April and then rain once the greens were voted in. The hit of the summer was Umbrella by Rhianna which proved to be very apt.
Worst summer I can remember was 1985, it was that bad Irish people started to hallucinate some even saw statues move.....

In in trouble now, texted my wife to ask her when did we have a party around 06..

Turns out it was our engagement party, April 07. Doh!

JM Skipton

Into The Blue wrote: »

What was 05 like? Maybe it was then..

05 and 06 were decent summers, I think you may be thinking of 07. we had a very dry April and then rain once the greens were voted in. The hit of the summer was Umbrella by Rhianna which proved to be very apt.
Worst summer I can remember was 1985, it was that bad Irish people started to hallucinate some even saw statues move.....

babybuilder

Red Kev wrote: »

1985 without a doubt, 86 wasn't much better. Around where I live in Roscommon, 1985 was one of the last years people all made hay. Almost everybody turned to silage after that summer as you don't need the same weather for it. Caused a lot of economic hardship for a couple of years as well as the price of feed rose and that of cattle dropped.

We never got the turf home that summer either, just turned and turned it, but it was just wet muck. People who had money started to go to oil fired central heating.

You could say it changed traditional farming practices here a good bit.

I was in the States in 1985 and remember every time I phoned home the weather was awful. The summers 1985-1988 were very wet as far as winning the turf and hay were concerned. Not sure the temperatures were as low as they are this summer. '83, '84 '89 were excellent.

Red Kev

smokie72 wrote: »

I remember 1985 as a pretty poor summer and I would say the same for 2007 and 2008. 2006 was a warm/hot summer apart from August.

_Brian wrote: »

1985 was awful.
Rain most days, hay barley and most crops were a disaster.

1985 without a doubt, 86 wasn't much better. Around where I live in Roscommon, 1985 was one of the last years people all made hay. Almost everybody turned to silage after that summer as you don't need the same weather for it. Caused a lot of economic hardship for a couple of years as well as the price of feed rose and that of cattle dropped.

We never got the turf home that summer either, just turned and turned it, but it was just wet muck. People who had money started to go to oil fired central heating.

You could say it changed traditional farming practices here a good bit.

Reckless Abandonment

For me it had to be 2011.. It just felt cold all summer. I remember living in hope of a warm day that didn't come

imitation

Yeah 06 was good, remember it well, it was my last summer "off" with college before I became a working man. Spent most of it gaming in a sweltering dormer and watching the odd world cup game. I think as others said 2007 til 2012 was crap, gray day after gray day.

_Brian

1985 was awful.
Rain most days, hay barley and most crops were a disaster.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Into The Blue wrote: »

06.. Had a party in April, and one of the neighbours commented that the nice weather will make for a long summer.. Turned out those few April days were the summer!

Not a good omen for this year!

dogmatix

All of the summers 2007 - 2012 where terrible, 2012 being especially bad. 2003 and 2006 where reasonably good.

Into The Blue

I heart TV wrote: »

ermm it was 30 degrees in july 06.

What was 05 like? Maybe it was then..

RayM

I remember the summer of 2012 being quite dull. We had a 'mini-heatwave' in late March, but not a lot of sunshine after that.

Alonso77

In recent times, 08 was a washout and 2011 was a chilly dull summer.

smokie72

I remember 1985 as a pretty poor summer and I would say the same for 2007 and 2008. 2006 was a warm/hot summer apart from August.

I heart TV

Into The Blue wrote: »

06..

ermm it was 30 degrees in july 06.

Into The Blue

06.. Had a party in April, and one of the neighbours commented that the nice weather will make for a long summer.. Turned out those few April days were the summer!