What a year of weather !!

M.T. Cranium · 16-10-2018 9:06pm

I've been active on this forum for about ten years now, here are the top eleven (was going with ten, but football on my mind for some reason) weather events that come to mind off the top of my head ... would be interested in hearing what I missed. I have them in chronological order rather than an order of significance.

(1) heavy rainfalls in the autumn of 2009 led to some severe flooding.

(2) early parts of 2010 had some severe cold spells.

(3) the epic cold and snow of late 2010 from about 23 November to 26 December.

(4) spring of 2011 was exceptionally warm.

(5) 2012 frustrated many with its continual near miss cold spells over Britain.

(6) 2013 had very unusual cold spells in March and to some extent delivered a bit of snow with them (in Waterford IIRC)

(7) summer 2013 brought a very warm July.

(8) storm Darwin in Feb 2014, the worst of a large number of storms that winter.

(9) record warmth in December 2015.

(10) Ophelia hit a year ago today (16 Oct 2017).

(11) The events of 2018 already discussed at length, suppose I would include the snowstorms around 1st of March in this list.

So what would you replace in my list, or add as co-equals? And is my memory as good as I hope it is, or did one or two of these happen in a different year?

Artane2002 · 16-10-2018 9:30pm

For me, Storm Ali is probably a storm I'll never forget. I spent 7 hours on a bus for nothing, 3 hours going to the Ploughing, 1 hour waiting and another 3 hours back home. When we got off the bus in Tullamore, it was really fun getting blown into my friends and having to fight the wind the move forwards! Also, there were some really squally showers. I was on the bus and looking at the front I saw what looked like fog. It was a heavy horizontal rain shower that soaked one side of the bus while the other side was completely dry.

sryanbruen · 16-10-2018 9:57pm

Artane2002 wrote: »

For me, Storm Ali is probably a storm I'll never forget. I spent 7 hours on a bus for nothing, 3 hours going to the Ploughing, 1 hour waiting and another 3 hours back home. When we got off the bus, it was really fun getting blown into my friends and having to fight the wind the move forwards!

Same here, was such a fun and exciting day in school. Ali was a good class disruptor. I remember one particular class, there was a sudden very loud gust at the window and the teacher turned around with a face that's like "Jesus, what the hell was that?" :pac:. My favourite storm without a doubt that I can remember whilst Doris of February 2017 being second.

Other things not mentioned above may include:

- 24 October 2011 Dublin floods (or heavy rain in general from 22-25 October 2011)
- Unseasonably warm conditions in late March 2012; warmest March conditions in Ireland since 1965
- Very wet June in 2012
- Exceptionally dry September in 2014

Rikand · 16-10-2018 11:16pm

The Cold spell at the end of 2009/start of 2010 was worse than the year later for me.

The lake at Hodson bay in Lough Ree froze over so that we could hit golf balls out onto the lake. I'll never forget the sound of the balls as they bounced off the ice. We did it a few times in and around the Christmas period and it was so much fun. One day, the Athlone Sub Aqua club were practicing ice dives and re-emerged from the ice about 300 yards out into the lake. They encouraged us to hit golf balls at them and then slid around the ice trying to catch them as they approached. They then gathered up a few dozen balls and brought them back to us....... only for us to hit them out again

the cold spell at the end of 2010 did not freeze the lake for nearly as long or as far out. Only one or two days was it frozen enough for us to hit balls and even then, the balls were breaking through the ice as they landed on occasion.

I think the second spell lasts in the memory longer as it was more recent, but the first spell was bitterly cold.

Athlone golf club closed early in Autumn because the flooding was so severe it rose the levels of the lake to record highs. And as soon as the rains subsided, the cold hit. We had no golf for 4-5 months that winter between that autumn/winter. (which would be unheard of for Athlone as the drainage is typically excellent and it rarely closes for rain events)

This golf related story is especially for you M.T as I know you play

Donegal Storm · 17-10-2018 12:41am

M.T. Cranium wrote: »

I've been active on this forum for about ten years now, here are the top eleven (was going with ten, but football on my mind for some reason) weather events that come to mind off the top of my head ... would be interested in hearing what I missed. I have them in chronological order rather than an order of significance.

(4) spring of 2011 was exceptionally warm.

That's one that seems to be rarely talked about anymore but one of my lasting weather memories. We had the worst wildfires in living memory in Donegal in April 2011 fanned by strong easterlies with vast areas scarred black for months. I remember driving through the hills afterwards and the whole landscape was smoking and black as far as the eye could see, really surreal.

Can't seem to find many pics online anymore but found a report on it here

http://www.iffpa.ie/Sectors/IFFPA/IFFPA.nsf/vPages/Information_Resources~presentations:-forest-fires-in-ireland---impact-on-industry,-the-environment-and-the-emergency-services-10-02-2012/$file/Experience%20of%20the%20Fire%20Service%20in%20Dealing%20with%20Forest%20Fires%20-%20Bob%20McMenamin.pdf

piplip87 · 17-10-2018 1:05am

Christmas day 2010 . They had to break the ice for the swim with a hi Mac. After the swim half the twin including aules in their 70s walking on Lough Ramor was magical. Something we would have heard about growing up was the lake becoming an ice rink during severe cold spells

nacho libre · 17-10-2018 2:50am

The heavy rain in November 2009. There were roads flooded that I had never seen flooded before. Of course December 2010 too. I remember watching each BBC forecast in the week before the second cold outbreak- i was afraid something might go wrong, so it was reassuring when the forecast stayed the same as it got closer to the 16th. Also i will never forget M.T. Cranium's comments about how the rain would quickly change to snow on the evening of the 16th, and begin to stick, readily! So it neatly demonstrated that no matter how saturated the ground is, if the air temperature goes low enough the snow will stick!

Graces7 · 17-10-2018 7:43am

Heatwave? Have I missed something? Decidedly chilly here. west mayo offshore island

and no more storms please... too old for all this

cyclops999 · 25-10-2018 3:42pm

Rikand wrote: »

The Cold spell at the end of 2009/start of 2010 was worse than the year later for me.

The lake at Hodson bay in Lough Ree froze over so that we could hit golf balls out onto the lake. I'll never forget the sound of the balls as they bounced off the ice. We did it a few times in and around the Christmas period and it was so much fun. One day, the Athlone Sub Aqua club were practicing ice dives and re-emerged from the ice about 300 yards out into the lake. They encouraged us to hit golf balls at them and then slid around the ice trying to catch them as they approached. They then gathered up a few dozen balls and brought them back to us....... only for us to hit them out again

the cold spell at the end of 2010 did not freeze the lake for nearly as long or as far out. Only one or two days was it frozen enough for us to hit balls and even then, the balls were breaking through the ice as they landed on occasion.

I think the second spell lasts in the memory longer as it was more recent, but the first spell was bitterly cold.

Athlone golf club closed early in Autumn because the flooding was so severe it rose the levels of the lake to record highs. And as soon as the rains subsided, the cold hit. We had no golf for 4-5 months that winter between that autumn/winter. (which would be unheard of for Athlone as the drainage is typically excellent and it rarely closes for rain events)

This golf related story is especially for you M.T as I know you play

Seen the Shannon freeze at Lough Ree, have seen it flood to its highest in Athlone & looking at the Shannon today I have never seen water levels so low for this time of year

Chris_5339762 · 25-10-2018 6:25pm

Christmas Eve Storms 2007, which simultaneously ruined Christmas down south but yet brought about more community spirit than I've ever seen. Especially the family with the gas oven who basically had a queue of turkeys to cook for the entire community over the few days!

Artane2002 · 29-12-2018 2:42pm

Here are my ratings for 2018:

January - 8/10
February - 10/10
March - 10/10
April - 4/10
May - 9/10
June - 10/10
August - 4/10
September - 10/10 Probably too generous
October - 10/10
November - 2/10 only because of the very start, would have been a zero if the first few days weren't as nice
December - 0/10 what a disgusting month!

sryanbruen · 29-12-2018 2:57pm

Artane2002 wrote: »

Here are my ratings for 2018:

January - 8/10
February - 10/10
March - 10/10
April - 4/10
May - 9/10
June - 10/10
August - 4/10
September - 10/10 Probably too generous
October - 10/10
November - 2/10 only because of the very start
December - 0/10 what a disgusting month!

Yeah, loved September here but 10/10 is very generous. Here's mine:

January - 6/10
February - 9/10
March - 5/10
April - 4/10
May - 7/10
June - 10/10
July - 7/10
August - 3/10
September - 7/10
October - 9/10
November - 3/10
December - 2/10

High points: February, June and October.
Low points: August (not terrible but very boring and disappointing), November and December.

SleetAndSnow · 29-12-2018 3:18pm

here would be my ratings:
January - 6/10
February - 10/10 - Snow was the best we have seen in Cork in years
March - 7/10 - for the first few days
April - 4/10
May - 9/10 - Thunderstorm was amazing
June - 10/10 - Heatwave
July - 7/10
August - 3/10
September - 7/10
October - 9/10
November - 2.5/10 - wet
December - 0/10 - been grey skies and damp here basically every day

M.T. Cranium · 03-01-2019 6:35am

December had weather geeks flocking to the Accounting forum for a bit of excitement.

sryanbruen · 28-05-2019 10:15am

Some more to add to the list of events for the previous decade:

- 24 September 2012 flooding rains (deepest September storm since 1981 too)
- February 2019 record warmth
- Extremely wet March 2019
- Warm Easter 2019

Graces7 · 28-05-2019 3:01pm

I woke in the night last week, as one does, to bitter disappointment. I NEVER GOT TO BUILD MY SNOWMAN. Lay in the dark and almost wept... The ocean hates letting snow land.

Last summer for me was.... I live in what is an aluminium box ( aka demountable dwelling)l ferociously insulated against cold, but one way. Mentally apologised for thinking prickly heat was trivial; took much of the winter to heal . Dreading a repeat of that. Middle range is fine.. please..... lol.. as if any of us could change what comes1

and gales galore! Ophelia slipped sideways at Clare ( prayer power) but the others... folk here laughed Callum off as it hit the west coast most. as did some of the others. They needed to see the road at belmullet, smashed to bits
Names elude me .. but one I got poopoohed at for saying the worst out here for years was just that, affirmed by islanders . skilled now at keeping food stocks in etc... as I was when I came here from the North sea, with the memory of 124 miles an hour gales. the day I left there was a gale and no ferry and the small plane vanished off the radar then managed to get in.

I did after all move here to get some sun on my old bones...

Extremes! Many this last year.. we shall see. yes we shall see. Please God I get to make a snowman NEXT winter.. if I last that long!

Whatever, enjoy! my way now is a gentle walk to the ocean before full light.. wonderful skies... will take photos if I remember... just awesome..

Oh would someone get this one to show.. it is the gable end hand built 150 year old stone wall of the old roofless cowshed here. all the rocks carried up from the shore and placed carefully... never a flicker in all the gales... That is how we need to be out here.. Battered but unbowed and they knew what the gales were.

trying again for file/photo

Gonzo · 28-05-2019 3:59pm

so far 2019 is shaping up to be a horror show (at least for me).

my scores so far for this year:

January (0/10)
February (3/10), 3 points for the unseasonal summer conditions which was very nice, despite the non existence of winter.
March (0/10), if I could give a minus score I would.
April (4/10), those 4 points go to the Easter 4 day warm spell.
May (1/10), cold month, unsettled first and last week, 1 point for the cool to mild, dry spell.

So far a total contrast to 2018 up to this point. I really hope the rest of 2019 fares a bit better, particularly this summer and winter. If July and August are decent, then i'm happy enough to put up with a poor June.

pauldry · 28-05-2019 6:31pm

Apart from Heavy snow at the end of January and drier than normal months and a record wet March 2019 has been pretty uneventful up the Northwest.

Graces7 · 30-05-2019 2:49pm

pauldry wrote: »

Apart from Heavy snow at the end of January and drier than normal months and a record wet March 2019 has been pretty uneventful up the Northwest.

I had not realised being offshore would make such a difference .. it does

What a year of weather !!

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