Turning very warm/hot, heatwave conditions likely; Sunday 24th -->

Hurrache · 02-07-2018 9:03am

EdgeCase wrote: »

There’s plenty of rainfall in Ireland the water system hasn’t enough reservoirs in the Dublin area to store that up for dry weather.

If you think about it, no major reservoirs have been built since the mid 20th century, yet the the population in that region is probably >400% bigger and water consumption may have increased (people don’t just have a bath once a week ..)

I remember Ireland produced figures for the EU putting us as having the highest water consumption rates in the entire bloc. It turned out these were an estimate based on leakage and also some extrapolation, possibly based on *US* figures. The result was the EU thought we were leaving the taps on 24/7.

When proper meter surveys were conducted, it shows Ireland as below EU average water consumption. Makes sense : cool climate (no swimming pools or irrigation), same appliances as everyone else and often very low flow showers. We are far from the water wasting country that was portrayed by the original “stats”.

Endlessly putting blame on householders and business for what is bad infrastructure really isn’t fair. People are mostly doing their best to conserve water. The failed system is making life very unpleasant and we urgently need to prepare for more unpredictability in the weather patterns, which could well include longer dry spells like this and also intense flooding.

We can’t just continue not put appropriate infrastructure in place and then blame end users behavior for shortages.

Ah the oul abdication of personal responsibility argument.

Tigerandahalf · 02-07-2018 9:05am

lenny palmer wrote: »

A woman on newstalk this morning saying that there is a 50% loss of water in the Irish water pipes. She was saying that if these where all fixed then there would be no need for a hose pipe ban.
We are the worst country in western Europe for water loss in pipes that in some cases are 140 years old

That 50% figure is pretty true. Unfortunately we are terrible in this country for investing in infrastructure. We have a great need for fibre broadband , flood defences, upgrading sewerage system and the water pipe network yet most governments just want to decrease taxes when things pick up in the economy.

The installation of water meters is good in this case as it should show up whether water is being lost in the pipe network or inside the boundary of the person's house.

Anyway rant over. The sun is out again today. Great to see a blue sky again.

Silver-Tiger · 02-07-2018 9:13am

Good to see the clickbait / redtop / scum media keeping on top of their game.
They usually love an exaggerated "Scorching weather on the way" or "Ireland is about to freeze over" type headline to get the clicks. Now it's a rare exaggerated "Get the Sun whilst you can because the clock is ticking" Headline.

lawred2 · 02-07-2018 9:14am

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

That 50% figure is pretty true. Unfortunately we are terrible in this country for investing in infrastructure. We have a great need for fibre broadband , flood defences, upgrading sewerage system and the water pipe network yet most governments just want to decrease taxes when things pick up in the economy.

The installation of water meters is good in this case as it should show up whether water is being lost in the pipe network or inside the boundary of the person's house.

Anyway rant over. The sun is out again today. Great to see a blue sky again.

well actually the right time to invest in such things is all the time - not just when the economy is doing well.

Has Irish governments taken the opportunity to invest heavily in infrastructure instead of canning almost every infrastructure project in the years 2007 - 2014; we would have gotten far greater returns on investment than investing in infrastructure when costs are on the up.

Instead we got a rerun of the age old Irish way of 'investment' - just another bureaucratic monstrosity in Irish Water that achieved zilch but pissed away countless millions.

Ultimate Seduction · 02-07-2018 9:25am

There's a dedicated drought thread in this forum and multiple Irish water threads lads.

Blue sky all around in Limerick nice breeze too

CeilingFly · 02-07-2018 9:28am

lawred2 wrote: »

well actually the right time to invest in such things is all the time - not just when the economy is doing well.

Has Irish governments taken the opportunity to invest heavily in infrastructure instead of canning almost every infrastructure project in the years 2007 - 2014; we would have gotten far greater returns on investment than investing in infrastructure when costs are on the up.

Instead we got a rerun of the age old Irish way of 'investment' - just another bureaucratic monstrosity in Irish Water that achieved zilch but pissed away countless millions.

And your comment shows why there was so little water infrastructure spending by successive governments over the year by your flippant comment about Irish Water.

They did not waste money and they have made huge changes to the infrastructure already - but because most of it is unseen, people, including yourself don't notice.

Yes, money was wasted on creating a billing system - but IW were simply following direction from government. No money was wasted on meter installation (except keeping aggressive Paul Murphy tye
pe scumbags from attacking workers) as these meters give pertinent information to usage and leaks.

Imagine back to the old days of 32 "water companies" operated by local village politicians via the local council and them deciding on where budgets are spent and then trying to find engineering expertise for the tiny salary they'd be offering?

You probably get some councils building waste water plants next to clean water treatment plants - akin to having a fresh food production facility next to a municipal dump. And yes that is exactly what Roscommon CC did, hence the boil water notice for years in many parts of roscommon (now corrected)

Read the IW annual report and it will detail the infrastructure works done and those currently being worked on.

lawred2 · 02-07-2018 9:33am

CeilingFly wrote: »

And your comment shows why there was so little water infrastructure spending by successive governments over the year by your flippant comment about Irish Water.

They did not waste money and they have made huge changes to the infrastructure already - but because most of it is unseen, people, including yourself don't notice.

Yes, money was wasted on creating a billing system - but IW were simply following direction from government. No money was wasted on meter installation (except keeping aggressive Paul Murphy tye
pe scumbags from attacking workers) as these meters give pertinent information to usage and leaks.

Imagine back to the old days of 32 "water companies" operated by local village politicians via the local council and them deciding on where budgets are spent and then trying to find engineering expertise for the tiny salary they'd be offering?

You probably get some councils building waste water plants next to clean water treatment plants - akin to having a fresh food production facility next to a municipal dump. And yes that is exactly what Roscommon CC did, hence the boil water notice for years in many parts of roscommon (now corrected)

Read the IW annual report and it will detail the infrastructure works done and those currently being worked on.

Isn't that what I said

Irish Water - the original vehicle for billing for water usage is dead despite millions being spent on billing systems and metering. Irish Water as it is now has been reduced back to an infrastructure management company - which is what it should always have been.

either way - going off topic

NIMAN · 02-07-2018 9:35am

Sun back out in the NW today after a full day of cloud yesterday.

But definitely not as warm.

MJohnston · 02-07-2018 9:37am

Lumi wrote: »

Mod Note

Can we steer the conversation away from the pros & cons of water taxation and back towards weather please

Thanks

There was a mod post about this stuff lads.

On a different note, I was in Phoenix Park yesterday, and as well as the place turning brown, I noticed there were a massive amount of crickets or similar orthoptera making a lot of noise. Not something I normally hear in Ireland, and certainly a noise that I would associate heavily with being on holiday in the Mediterranean.

Slashermcguirk · 02-07-2018 9:55am

I noticed the same in phoenix park over the weekend. It actually felt I was driving through the African plains! the grass has turned so brown and in the parts where the grass is overgrown, it was like watching one of those nature programmes in Africa, half expected to see a cheetah walking through the long grass.
I have never seen the ground look so parched. literally everywhere you drive in Dublin you can just see grass and plants almost begging for rain. I am loving this weather though. I cannot remember the last time I saw rain in Dublin

Kermit.de.frog · 02-07-2018 9:58am

Great sunshine across the country today, wall to wall to most.

Top temperature 28c could be highest in Co Cork.

A similar day tomorrow. Top temperatures 27c in the mid west.

Always several degrees cooler on east facing coasts.

Cantona's Collars · 02-07-2018 10:07am

NIMAN wrote: »

Sun back out in the NW today after a full day of cloud yesterday.

But definitely not as warm.

The forecast was for a front to graze the NW and across to Scotland.

munsterlegend · 02-07-2018 10:14am

Much fresher breeze here today near Mallow. Sunny skies and I am sure it will heat up considerably in the next few hours.

Mullaghteelin · 02-07-2018 10:27am

The Irish Sea must be fairly warm. N-NE'ly breeze blowing into Balbriggan, generating unusually rough surf for this part of the world, but the breeze feels as warm and pleasant as ever.

morgana · 02-07-2018 10:34am

16.8c and sunny in North Cork near Mallow with a bit of a breeze going. Lovely warm in the sun but nothing like last week. Sure the temps will ramp up as the day goes on

ednwireland · 02-07-2018 10:41am

gone from 9.2 at 08:30 to 19.5 at 10:20 on my weather station

SW donegal

harr · 02-07-2018 10:43am

Only 19c here in kildare with a strong enough breeze...one of our colder mornings

it rising fairly steadily..

MJohnston · 02-07-2018 10:45am

Last night was blissfully cold, had the windows wide open to get some cool air into the house for a change...toddler's room got down to 20C for the first time in a couple of weeks. Practically comfortable!

Akrasia · 02-07-2018 10:48am

MJohnston wrote: »

There was a mod post about this stuff lads.

On a different note, I was in Phoenix Park yesterday, and as well as the place turning brown, I noticed there were a massive amount of crickets or similar orthoptera making a lot of noise. Not something I normally hear in Ireland, and certainly a noise that I would associate heavily with being on holiday in the Mediterranean.

I saw a huge grasshopper yesterday. Biggest I've seen in Ireland

SleetAndSnow · 02-07-2018 10:49am

At 20 degrees now in cork city, was about 3 degrees warmer this time last week. Not complaining though

Kamili · 02-07-2018 10:57am

ongarboy wrote: »

.. nothing tops the summer of 95 for me! Edwyn Collins "Girl like you", Bobby Brown "Two can Play that game" always bring me back to that summer when I hear them!!!

Happy days!!

Oh man! Those songs bring it back for me too.. I was in the car there the other day and Girl like you came on. Brought me right back to '95

Cork Boy 53 · 02-07-2018 11:01am

Akrasia wrote: »

I saw a huge grasshopper yesterday. Biggest I've seen in Ireland

If this prolonged dry spell continues don`t be surprised to see scorpions in parts of the country by the end of the summer.:rolleyes:

Luckycharms_74 · 02-07-2018 11:19am

mickger844posts wrote: »

Yes looking like the warmest in the country tomorrow. Just wondering how do you get the Celsius readings for the ECM on weather.us. I can only see Fahrenheit.

Nice update to your site on desktop Mick

will the mobile version be updated ?

Comhrá · 02-07-2018 11:24am

For the elderly (myself included) among us here

:

sryanbruen · 02-07-2018 11:28am

About the 1887 Kilkenny Castle record.....

https://twitter.com/kilkennyweather/status/1013726709890371589

https://twitter.com/kilkennyweather/status/1013729001767079936

EdgeCase · 02-07-2018 12:10pm

Hurrache wrote: »

Ah the oul abdication of personal responsibility argument.

By the state?

There is simply not enough water in in the system to meet supply in the Greater Dublin Area at the moment and that is pretty inexcusable failure of planning and government policy for the last 30+ years. Why weren't there more reservoirs built to go with the vast amount of housing that went up pre 2008?

Irish consumers use less than the EU average per capita consumption. Our industries are fairly water efficient too.
The network is falling to bits and hasn't been invested in in decades because, unlike roads, it's invisible and it was not taken seriously.

We're also failing miserably to separate sewage and rainwater by using combined drains which are completely inappropriate for the climate here and becoming more so as deluges of rain are more common. These drain systems take sewage and rainwater runoff from paved areas and combine them into a single flow. When there's a major deluge, they flood and wash raw sewage into waterways.

That's the kind of cheap-and-not-so-cheerful water infrastructure we have in place.

People are being expected to put up with boil water notices, lack of supply and all sorts of other issues and the whole thing goes back to decades of ridiculously poor and uncoordinated water policy. Maybe Irish Water's improving things, we can only hope, but if this doesn't become a political priority fairly soon, we are going to have a situation where in the Greater Dublin Area there will be inadequate water supply to sustain economic growth which is absolutely insane for a country that has no natural issues with water shortages and has abundant supplies, if only we put the infrastructure in place to capture and store them!

We can't rely on a knife-edge situation with water in Dublin (and potentially a few other places) where a couple of weeks of dry weather means the taps run dry. That's insanity. This isn't a some parched part of California or Spain. We've a very adequate natural supply...

RobertKK · 02-07-2018 12:25pm

I will always say Kilkenny has probably the best topography in the country for temperatures and weather overall - can rain/sleet in Kilkenny city and have drifting snow on the hills about 5 to 6 miles away. Inland, high sides that go over 1,000ft/300m with the Castlecomer plateau, the slieveardagh hills plus other high ground which surrounds kilkenny city which is low lying.
South east of the country with a lesser of an Atlantic influence.
Anyway, of course Kilkenny people don't want the record broken unless it is by another Kilkenny based Met Eireann reporting temperature location in the county.
There was a bit of irony with Joanna pushing Shannon and calling Kilkenny's record dubious...nothing against Joanna but it was on the disingenuous side. Surely she would have examined the records for Kilkenny and have seen they had passed scrutiny.

Franz Von Peppercorn · 02-07-2018 12:51pm

EdgeCase wrote: »

By the state?

There is simply not enough water in in the system to meet supply in the Greater Dublin Area at the moment and that is pretty inexcusable failure of planning and government policy for the last 30+ years. Why weren't there more reservoirs built to go with the vast amount of housing that went up pre 2008?

Irish consumers use less than the EU average per capita consumption. Our industries are fairly water efficient too.
The network is falling to bits and hasn't been invested in in decades because, unlike roads, it's invisible and it was not taken seriously.

We're also failing miserably to separate sewage and rainwater by using combined drains which are completely inappropriate for the climate here and becoming more so as deluges of rain are more common. These drain systems take sewage and rainwater runoff from paved areas and combine them into a single flow. When there's a major deluge, they flood and wash raw sewage into waterways.

That's the kind of cheap-and-not-so-cheerful water infrastructure we have in place.

People are being expected to put up with boil water notices, lack of supply and all sorts of other issues and the whole thing goes back to decades of ridiculously poor and uncoordinated water policy. Maybe Irish Water's improving things, we can only hope, but if this doesn't become a political priority fairly soon, we are going to have a situation where in the Greater Dublin Area there will be inadequate water supply to sustain economic growth which is absolutely insane for a country that has no natural issues with water shortages and has abundant supplies, if only we put the infrastructure in place to capture and store them!

We can't rely on a knife-edge situation with water in Dublin (and potentially a few other places) where a couple of weeks of dry weather means the taps run dry. That's insanity. This isn't a some parched part of California or Spain. We've a very adequate natural supply...

Infrastructure costs money. The government is bound by EU agreements on debt and deficit. We are over the debt ceiling in terms of GDP per capita. It is falling, but only because of GDP growth. Whether you like austerity or not, thats the fact. The government is limited in how it finances anything.

The point of Irish water was to create a semi state which could issue its own bonds, or get credit, to build out the infrastructure without that going on the State's books. When you are looking for loans, you need revenue.

Besides that individual use of water in a drought would obviously be affected by the increase in price per usage, at the moment we have the tragedy of the commons.

Jpmarn · 02-07-2018 12:57pm

The weather we got over the last few days can be very much associated with Mediterranean holidays. The only thing is instead of going to the beach or lazing by the pool we still have to go to work and try and live our lives normally. Maybe the barbie in the garden is busier than usual.

Inviere · 02-07-2018 1:06pm

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

The point of Irish water was to...

Its €2 Billion (two billion euro!) inception killed credibility instantly for many. It'd have taken decades or more to even pay for itself, let alone upgrade and maintain infrastructure. Golden pensions, jobs for the boys, insert any cynical/stereotypically cliched oppositional statement you want, they largely apply in the case of Irish Water.

We need a clean, transparent, modern, efficient, well run model to raise revenue to update our Victorian-era water system. Something genuine, something we can all get behind, something not Irish Water and the type of political skullduggery it stands for. Metered usage with fair/realistic allowances that punish wastage of water, not usage of water.

Turning very warm/hot, heatwave conditions likely; Sunday 24th -->

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