Extreme Januarys

arctictree

Just came across the following article:

http://www.personal.dundee.ac.uk/~taharley/british_weather_in_january.htm

Note the following in 1608:

1608 The winter of 1607-1608 was known as the "Great Winter": trees died of frost, and ships were stranded for miles out in a frozen North Sea. At this time we are well into the Little Ice Age, which most date as starting in the mid 1500s, but might have exerted some influence for a few hundred years before (e.g. see 1115 and 1282; the Mediaeval Warm period was certainly drawing to a close by the time of the Great Famine in Europe from 1315 - see Fagan's (2000) book on the Little Ice Age in the books page). It lasted for nearly three hundred years: the last frost fair was in 1814, and the last very cold month for some time was 1838, but the 1880s also saw very severe winters.

An interesting thought struck me. What if the North Sea and Irish Sea froze during a sustained cold spell? Would our weather suddenly switch to continental? It would be like Dublin was suddenly stuck 100 miles into a big land mass with no warming effect around it.

j1979p

We don't get much warming from the North Sea or Irish Sea

The Atlantic would still be there and we would get gulf stream warming

extremeweather

I think that it would take much more than a cold spell for both seas to entirely freeze. And it would have to be colder again for a freeze to be sustained for any length of time -- even much of the Arctic thaws in the summer. If we had the conditions for such a freeze to occur in the first place then I think we'd be considering evacuating Dublin and moving somewhere warmer!

Interestingly, I haven't seen any mention of extreme cold in Ireland for 1607-1608. Thanks for the link.

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Extreme Weather, Climatic Shifts & Natural Disasters in Ireland
http://wiki.ucc.ie/extreme-weather

baldieman

extremeweather wrote: »

I think that it would take much more than a cold spell for both seas to entirely freeze. And it would have to be colder again for a freeze to be sustained for any length of time -- even much of the Arctic thaws in the summer. If we had the conditions for such a freeze to occur in the first place then I think we'd be considering evacuating Dublin and moving somewhere warmer!

Interestingly, I haven't seen any mention of extreme cold in Ireland for 1607-1608. Thanks for the link.

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Extreme Weather, Climatic Shifts & Natural Disasters in Ireland
http://wiki.ucc.ie/extreme-weather

In 1602 on the 2nd of December, O'Neills army crossed the shannon at shannon bridge on the way to the infamous battle of Kinsale. They did'nt cross a bridge, swim or use boats.

extremeweather

In 1602 on the 2nd of December, O'Neills army crossed the shannon at shannon bridge on the way to the infamous battle of Kinsale. They did'nt cross a bridge, swim or use boats.

Interesting, thanks for that. Do you have a source - is it well reported? I'm not familiar with Shannonbridge but such a low flow in December of all months would be very unusual I guess. BTW, I presume you meant 1601?

There is also a reference in the Annals of Connacht to "Great heat and drouth in the summer of this year, so that folk used to come across the Shannon dry-shod. The wheat was reaped three weeks before Lammas, and [indeed] all the corn-crops were reaped then. The trees were burned by the sun." This is dated as 1252.

If you're interested in weather and historical Irish events you might be interested in John Tyrrell's book on the United Irishmen's uprising of 1798.

Danno

January 2009 Anyone? :P

Interesting articles above, keep them coming.

extremeweather

Some more January (or winter) extremes:

The lowest recorded temperature at Birr (from 01-Jan-1954 to 29-Feb-2008) occurred on 12-Jan-1982 (minus 14.6 degrees C).

http://wiki.ucc.ie/extreme-weather/index.php/Main/AD1982

There is also some historical information in The County and city of Cork remembrancer; or annals of the county and city of Cork / by Francis H. Tuckey (1839):

1517 : In the winter of this year there was so great a frost, that all the rivers of the county were frozen up for several weeks; particularly the Lee and Avonmore (Blackwater).


1683 : This year there was a most severe frost, the river Lee was frozen for many weeks, and carriages passed over from the ferry slip to the east marsh.


1692, Jan 19. A great frost began in Ireland, and continued until the middle of February.


1715: There was a great fall of snow, which continued two months.


1739, Dec. 26. The river Lee was frozen by one of the hardest frosts in the memory of man, usually called “the hard frost”; during the time it lasted tents were fixed on the river, from the north strand to Blackrock, and several amusements were carried on there, which continued even after the commencement of the thaw. One day a quaker having impudently ventured too far down the channel, the ice broke and he fell in. [...] During this frost, Lough a Drippel, near Dunmanway, remained without freezing.

1766, Feb 6. The rivers, loughs and canals being frozen, there was much skaiting.
Feb. 8. The frost began to thaw.

1767 : There was a severe frost, and much skating on the lough.

The reliability of the above record may be questionable in many cases.



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Extreme Weather, Climatic Shifts & Natural Disasters in Ireland
http://wiki.ucc.ie/extreme-weather

daviddwyer

Heres hoping for 2009!!

Danno

Well the times mentioned co-incide with the much famed frost fairs on the R.Thames in London. So there must be some merit to them.
Cork is only slightly more north than London, but a good deal more under the influence of the Gulf Stream, so it must have been one hell of a cold era for these events to happen.

Snowbie

I thought Clones holds that record of -18.8C

extremeweather

lowest recorded temperature at Birr (from 01-Jan-1954 to 29-Feb-2008) occurred on 12-Jan-1982 (minus 14.6 degrees C)

I thought Clones holds that record of -18.8C

Sorry, slightly confusing, my post referred to the Birr record only.

Snowbie

Ah super, thanks:)

extremeweather

1881 : Air temperature of -19.4 degrees C observed at Omagh (23rd January)
Source : [Fitzgerald, 1987]


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Extreme Weather, Climatic Shifts & Natural Disasters in Ireland
http://wiki.ucc.ie/extreme-weather