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thunder in ireland

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  • 16-07-2011 10:17pm
    #1
    torrentum
    Closed Accounts Posts: 157 ✭✭


    just wondering:
    Is there any location in ireland that, generally speaking, gets thunderstorms more often than other locations? Does Ireland have its own "thunder alley"?
    Reason I ask is that I grew up in county carlow where we got our fair share of thunderstorms. Now I live in south kilkenny, near the barders of waterford and tipp, and I havent heard proper thunder in years, just tthe odd rumble from convection showers but here we seem to miss the organised bands that used to come up from the south in summer in carlow.
    Is it just that the last few years have been quiet, in terms of electrical storms?

    Id be interested to hear your replies

    thanks.


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    #2
    Pangea
    Registered Users Posts: 5,565 ✭✭✭Pangea


    Cork Airport experiences the least thunder; receiving it 3.7 days per year on average. In neighbouring Co Kerry, Valentia Island experiences the most thunder; receiving 7.1 days per year on average

    Of course there may be other places that recieve more thunder than Valentia but may not have a weather station in their location.



    Other interesting facts

    A Mr. M. Fitzgerald provided an account of ball lightning in County Donegal on 6 August 1868, that lasted 20 minutes and left a 6 metre square hole, a 90 metre long trench, a second trench 25 metres long, and a small cave in the peat bog

    One of the most severe thunderstorms on record occurred on the evening of July 25th and morning of July 26th 1985. Hundreds of farm animals were killed by lightning and large hailstones extensively damaged crop

    Some of the worst thunderstorms ever recorded in Ireland took place In Dublin on 11 June 1963. Severe flooding also occurred in various parts of the capital.

    A thunderstorm, with hailstones as large as four inches in circumference, occurred in Castletown, Co. Offaly. A woman is injured and a hen is killed!

    http://www.irishweatheronline.com/irishweather/climate/one-hundred-facts-about-irelands-weather/12130.html


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    #3
    Oscar Bravo
    Registered Users Posts: 10,063 ✭✭✭✭Oscar Bravo


    What area did that thunderstorm in 1985 occur Pangea?


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    #4
    Pangea
    Registered Users Posts: 5,565 ✭✭✭Pangea


    Oscar Bravo wrote: »
    What area did that thunderstorm in 1985 occur Pangea?

    Was wondering that myself Oscar, got it from IWO so we would need to ask them.
    Although it seems it was in many places

    nacho libre wrote: »
    Apparently there was spectacular thunderstorms in 1985 across the eastern half of Ireland. Also during May 1986, there was said to be decent thunderstorms activity in the west and northwest. I can vaguely recollect the storm activity of May 1986. There was loud thunder, but the lightning wasn't anything like I witnessed in 2001


    Min wrote: »
    The 1986 event killed 8 cattle on my uncle's farm, not as bad as the storms of 1985.


    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=73223297


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    #5
    torrentum
    Closed Accounts Posts: 157 ✭✭torrentum


    Thanks for the interesting info guys. I remember the 1985 storm - its etched on my memory forever and was truly epic. I saw severe storms in new jersey in 2008, but was nothing compared to 1985. I was living in carlow at the time. Its that storm that got me interested in weather, especially electric storms. Lets hope the warm spell ay the end of july gives us a repeat performance!!!


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    #6
    Min
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,550 ✭✭✭Min


    torrentum wrote: »
    just wondering:
    Is there any location in ireland that, generally speaking, gets thunderstorms more often than other locations? Does Ireland have its own "thunder alley"?
    Reason I ask is that I grew up in county carlow where we got our fair share of thunderstorms. Now I live in south kilkenny, near the barders of waterford and tipp, and I havent heard proper thunder in years, just tthe odd rumble from convection showers but here we seem to miss the organised bands that used to come up from the south in summer in carlow.
    Is it just that the last few years have been quiet, in terms of electrical storms?

    Id be interested to hear your replies

    thanks.

    I think you might be too far south in a boring weather region, ok enough people from that region insulted :pac: Well the weather is more interesting inland...
    I don't live a million miles away from Carlow, it is over the hills, saw blue lightning last December and we had at least 3 or 4 thunderstorms so far this year.
    One this year I was bringing in the cows and I was trying to get the silly cows to hurry up as I could see regular lightning strikes heading my way and I didn't want to be out in it or getting soaked...

    The summer of 2009 had plenty of thunderstorms, it was like the tropics at one stage as it was a daily occurence at one period.


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    #7
    Danno
    Registered Users Posts: 8,913 ✭✭✭Danno


    The area around SE Mayo and NE Galway is reputed to have the most thunder in Ireland according to a Met Eireann publication I remember reading a while ago...

    From my own area here, I notice that I rarely get a direct hit of a thunderstorm. They seem to flare up over the Comer Pleatau more and again over towards the Slieve Blooms.

    The severe storm of July 17th 2007 over Mountrath was the last decent storm I remember in the county, and it did quite a bit of damage there.

    I would feel that the last few years have seen a distinct lack of summer storms, especially the stronger ones whilst the winter ones seem to be on the increase.

    Back in the good old global warming days you'd be sure of a few Spanish plumes each summer, but this recent pattern change since 2007 has put paid to that.


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    #8
    pauldry
    Registered Users Posts: 6,879 ✭✭✭pauldry


    Living in Sligo 7 years now. Generally Sligo town gets less than some of the inland areas. Tubbercurry and Geevagh have got a lot in the past 3 years.


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    #9
    torrentum
    Closed Accounts Posts: 157 ✭✭torrentum


    Danno wrote: »
    winter ones seem to be on the increase.
    /QUOTE]

    Agreed. The only lightning ive seen these past few years has been in winter


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