Why does Ireland have a reputation for it raining a lot?

Icepick

eth0 wrote: »

Those countries at the top have tropical downpours and mostly sunny weather for the rest of the time.

We have a slow, annoying persistant supply of rain constantly. Less mm of rain but it spends more time raining

and also loads of snow in the mountains for some of the countries

allthedoyles

Its the jet-stream .........it won't move on

Oracle

hardCopy wrote: »

Dublin is only the 10th rainiest city in Europe, with only 139 rainy days a year, way behind Amsterdam with 214 ....

... and Amsterdam is way colder too. I was over there once nearly froze to death. :eek:

kowloon

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

Our rain is the wettest dampest type.

Big ole fat rayne.

notnumber

The big difference is cities like london amsterdam and others are likely to get a spell of Continental heat which always seems to stop short of extending as far as Ireland apart from the odd stray plume .Even when its not raining it looks like it will!

California On Ireland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XWAuoGg4jY

Even these dummies who dont know where Ireland is know its cold and wet ( and we drink alot of beer!)

Sea Filly

Onixx wrote: »

Better than arguing it doesn't rain that much in Ireland, just for the attention. You know it does rain a lot in Ireland.

This response seems harsh. Surely all thread-starters are, even in a small way, looking for attention? And as someone who walks to and from work every day, I don't often get soaked.

Sea Filly

Onixx wrote: »

Don't agree. Bad weather makes you some people feel down. It's howling wind outside, been dark since way earlier than it would be if there wasn't so much cloud, the rain is bucketing.

That is bad weather.

FYP

Duggys Housemate

As already pointed out Dublin is not that wet. We do tend to have more cloud cover though, miserable grey clouds.

MrStuffins

Sea Filly wrote: »

This response seems harsh. Surely all thread-starter are, even in a small way, looking for attention? And as someone who walks to and from work every day, I don't often get soaked.

For the last time, we don't want to buy any of your umbrellas!

i57dwun4yb1pt8

we have the rain version of chinese water torture .

Sea Filly

Duggys Housemate wrote: »

As already pointed out Dublin is not that wet. We do tend to have more cloud cover though, miserable grey clouds.

I think it's the fact that it looks like it's going to rain a lot that is depressing. Seriously, it's actually dry a lot of the time but is very frequently overcast.

I'm listening to it bucketing down outside right now with the window open and finding it very relaxing indeed. :cool:

Syllabus

Downlinz wrote: »

When we're considerably below average in our rainfall?

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/geo_pre-geography-precipitation

look out the window

Captain Chaos

Duggys Housemate wrote: »

As already pointed out Dublin is not that wet. We do tend to have more cloud cover though, miserable grey clouds.

Where I live in Dublin we only had 4 days in July with no rain. So far today it has been raining for 13 hours straight.

Captain Chaos

Sea Filly wrote: »

I'm listening to it bucketing down outside right now with the window open and finding it very relaxing indeed. :cool:

Where I am it is bucketing with very heavy gusts of wind and has been like that all day. If I open any window here the place will be lifted out of it.

TIMEisMONEY

The country is very green this year with all the rain were getting.

Sea Filly

Captain Chaos wrote: »

Where I am it is bucketing with very heavy gusts of wind and has been like that all day. If I open any window here the place will be lifted out of it.

It's stormy here too, but my bedroom window is quite sheltered.

I love variety in weather. I was on the motorway from Cork to Dublin on Saturday. The sight of low clouds licking over the tops of the Galtee Mountains, showers crossing them, and sunshine breaking through in spots was breathtaking.

Capt'n Midnight

Check met.ie

We have measurable rainfall one hour in three.

More importantly when you get wet in Ireland you stay wet because of the temperature and humidity.

It's not like hot countries where it rains for 15 minutes and even if you get soaked you'll be dry in another 15 minutes.

Also the rain here is usually cold, and that combined with wind chill means that there are times when you'd actually rather it was snowing because it wouldn't take as much heat out of you

EoghanIRL

It rains at least once a week throughout the year.kike right now

Sea Filly

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

More importantly when you get wet in Ireland you stay wet because of the temperature and humidity.

It's not like hot countries where it rains for 15 minutes and even if you get soaked you'll be dry in another 15 minutes.

The humidity here is nothing compared to other, hotter countries in summer. And it's not humid here at all really outside of summer.

I used to live in the south of England. I remember it being a particularly humid spell. I went home to Ireland for a weekend during that spell to find everyone complaining about the humidity. I, on the other hand, found it lovely and fresh. Even the south of England is far more humid than Ireland in summer.

the_syco

Biblical floods? It's called an Irish summer!

Cú Giobach

Onixx wrote: »

Don't agree. Bad weather makes you feel down. It's howling wind outside, been dark since way earlier than it would be if there wasn't so much cloud, the rain is bucketing.

That is bad weather.

Howling wind? Bucketing rain? That to me is great weather, in fact I get quite excited at the prospect of howling wing and bucketing rain and I'm not the only one, check out the weather forum later in the autumn as the storms begin. \o/

Many people would agree with hardCopy with that statement. You say it's bad, I say it's great, in fact as I type this the wind is howling and the rain is bucketing here and the only thing making me feel a slight disappointment is that it's far too mild to light the fire.

That said this could be considered the result of bad weather. Even then many people get quite excited at the prospect of such weather. It's all subjective.

Micky Dolenz

Oracle wrote: »

... and Amsterdam is way colder too. I was over there once nearly froze to death. :eek:

Same thing happened me. Nearly got stoned to death. Good times.

Jay D

Wow op cop the hell on will you?

It DOES rain a lot in case you missed the past 5 summers at least.

Countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore etc., do get a lot of rain but clearly a lot of sunshine too! The rain is at times and you can predict a day generally by the weather you see. You're not often caught out and pissed on but like I say when it rains it rains heavily. Sun is quick to soak it up however.

They have their fill of rain and get sun, we rarely do.

ejmaztec

EoghanIRL wrote: »

It rains at least once a week throughout the year.kike right now

It might only rain once a week, but it doesn't stop for 168 hours.:(

Colmustard

Downlinz wrote: »

When we're considerably below average in our rainfall?

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/geo_pre-geography-precipitation

LOL at interpretation of stats.

In Ireland it rains alot as in water falls from the sky FREQUENTLY.

But in monsoon and tropical country's rain fall infrequently but when it does in comes in buckets.

So if you did a stat analysis of the amount of days it rains or drizzled in the Irish empire you will find it does rain a lot in Ireland.

Son Of A Vidic

Downlinz wrote: »

we're considerably below average in our rainfall?

That's some strong shít you must be smoking.

Jester252

Just cos op just cos

ancuncha

http://www.met.ie/climate-ireland/rainfall.asp

direct your eyes to this paragraph

How Often Does it Rain?
The general impression is that it rains quite a lot of the time in Ireland, but two out of three hourly observations will not report any measurable rainfall. The average number of wet days (days 1mm or more of rain) ranges from about 150 days a year along the east and south east coasts, to about 225 days a year in parts of the west.

living in the west, 225 days out of 365 are pissing down, to be honest sounds like it was underestimated

jmayo

Downlinz wrote: »

When we're considerably below average in our rainfall?

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/geo_pre-geography-precipitation

I would say we are below average in a lot of things, but rain wouldn't be one.

Downlinz wrote: »

Quite clearly it doesn't.

Where are you livin, Because I want to move there.

As some other smart poster pointed out, it aint the volume it is the fact it never fooking stops.

We get things like drizzle, which to people in other countries is something you do with dressing on a salad, but here it is a persistent small water droplets falling from the sky which drowns out the sun and depresses the cr** out of everyone.

So maybe that is why people consider Ireland wet dreary and always raining.


After the summer we have had I can't believe someone started this discussion.

Madam_X

Sea Filly wrote: »

Surely all thread-starters are, even in a small way, looking for attention?

Saying it "clearly" doesn't rain a lot is "clearly" going against the grain for the sake of it.

No we don't get regular monsoons but we get very regular rainfall, even if it's not very heavy.

Cú Giobach wrote: »

Howling wind? Bucketing rain? That to me is great weather, in fact I get quite excited at the prospect of howling wing and bucketing rain and I'm not the only one, check out the weather forum later in the autumn as the storms begin. \o/

Many people would agree with hardCopy with that statement. You say it's bad, I say it's great, in fact as I type this the wind is howling and the rain is bucketing here and the only thing making me feel a slight disappointment is that it's far too mild to light the fire.

You and HardCopy are in a small minority and you know it. All the talk re this dreadful summer - I have not encountered anyone, until this thread, saying they like it. Yeh, stormy weather is kinda cool to watch when you're inside, but what if you want to go outside. No, suitable clothes aren't enough - most people don't enjoy being lashed by wind and rain. It is indeed subjective, and if people genuinely enjoy rainy, windy weather, well that's their preference - but it doesn't mean they're correct to tell others stuff like there's no such thing as bad weather. I have looked at the weather forum - full of people saying "Sh1t weather is great - and anyone who disagrees is wrong."

Disingenuousness is boring - those who like awful weather know full well their taste is an unusual one, no need to pretend they're not an exception.

Sea Filly

Onixx wrote: »

Saying it "clearly" doesn't rain a lot is "clearly" going against the grain for the sake of it.

No we don't get regular monsoons but we get very regular rainfall, even if it's not very heavy.

You and HardCopy are in a small minority and you know it. All the talk re this dreadful summer - I have not encountered anyone, until this thread, saying they like it. Yeh, stormy weather is kinda cool to watch when you're inside, but what if you want to go outside. No, suitable clothes aren't enough - most people don't enjoy being lashed by wind and rain. It is indeed subjective, and if people genuinely enjoy rainy, windy weather, well that's their preference - but it doesn't mean they're correct to tell others stuff like there's no such thing as bad weather. I have looked at the weather forum - full of people saying "Sh1t weather is great - and anyone who disagrees is wrong."

Disingenuousness is boring - those who like awful weather know full well their taste is an unusual one, no need to pretend they're not an exception.

What? I don't believe anyone is saying that people who say they dislike "bad" weather are wrong or lying. Where are you getting that? I never seen anytihng like that in the weather forum.

You're the one who contended that no-one likes rain.

If I had to decide the summer weather for Ireland, I'd include a couple of good rainy days a week. Droughts ain't fun.

Cú Giobach

Onixx wrote: »

Saying it "clearly" doesn't rain a lot is "clearly" going against the grain for the sake of it.

No we don't get regular monsoons but we get very regular rainfall, even if it's not very heavy.

You and HardCopy are in a small minority and you know it. All the talk re this dreadful summer - I have not encountered anyone, until this thread, saying they like it. Yeh, stormy weather is kinda cool to watch when you're inside, but what if you want to go outside. No, suitable clothes aren't enough - most people don't enjoy being lashed by wind and rain. It is indeed subjective, and if people genuinely enjoy rainy, windy weather, well that's their preference - but it doesn't mean they're correct to tell others stuff like there's no such thing as bad weather. I have looked at the weather forum - full of people saying "Sh1t weather is great - and anyone who disagrees is wrong."

Disingenuousness is boring - those who like awful weather know full well their taste is an unusual one, no need to pretend they're not an exception.

Well the weather is certainly putting you in a narky mood. :rolleyes:

In 2003 a heatwave across Europe killed 10's of thousands in what would be normal heat conditions in many countries, bad weather in France, normal weather in Iraq.
-15 in Ireland bad weather, -15 in Canada quite normal.
Torrential downpour in Ireland for many considered bad weather, the same at the end of the dry season in India is celebrated with joyous enthusiasm.

I and many others especially in the country like what is sometimes called a "soft day", a constant light rain with no wind, many involved in agriculture in places like the south east of England are praying for rain more now than ever.

Putting on the "gear" and heading to the top of a hill or the nearby coastal cliffs during a storm is for me a way of having fun, for my mother it would be a nightmare.
Anything over around 27 degrees I and many north Europeans find oppressive yet many others revel in it.

Good v's Bad weather is subjective, so many people, especially in cities, are so out of tune with the weather (and even the seasons) that anything other than a sunny blue sky is considered bad, but not all of us are so blinkered.

Th expression that HardCopy used is quite widespread and one I use regularly, and 90% of the time it elicits a positive response with a nod and a smile.

dd972

looking at that grey skied crap out there now then looking at Madrird webcams

Madam_X

Sea Filly wrote: »

I don't believe anyone is saying that people who say they dislike "bad" weather are wrong or lying. Where are you getting that? I never seen anytihng like that in the weather forum.

Well that's the impression I get.

You're the one who contended that no-one likes rain.

No I didn't. Most people definitely don't though.

If I had to decide the summer weather for Ireland, I'd include a couple of good rainy days a week. Droughts ain't fun.

If I had to decide it, I'd also include rain - one downpour a week. I never even implied I'd like dry, warm weather all the time. I wouldn't.

Cú Giobach wrote: »

In 2003 a heatwave across Europe killed 10's of thousands in what would be normal heat conditions in many countries, bad weather in France, normal weather in Iraq.
-15 in Ireland bad weather, -15 in Canada quite normal.
Torrential downpour in Ireland for many considered bad weather, the same at the end of the dry season in India is celebrated with joyous enthusiasm.

I know Ireland doesn't have an extreme climate, so I don't see the point in comparing it to countries that do.

I and many others especially in the country like what is sometimes called a "soft day", a constant light rain with no wind.

Bar the constant light rain (the odd shower would be grand though) I'd be happy with that all summer too. Temperatures in the mid to high teens, the sky cloudy but not grey/black clouds - my idea of a pleasant day/summer too.

Putting on the "gear" and heading to the top of a hill or the nearby coastal cliffs during a storm is for me a way of having fun

But you would admit that that's unusual though, wouldn't you?

Good v's Bad weather is subjective

It is, but let's face it: most people in Ireland have a pretty set opinion as to what constitutes bad weather.

so many people, especially in cities, are so out of tune with the weather (and even the seasons) that anything other than a sunny blue sky is considered bad

I have never spoken to anyone who would enjoy being caught out in a downpour like, for example, the torrential rain that caused the floods in Cork in June.

The expression that HardCopy used is quite widespread and one I use regularly, and 90% of the time it elicits a positive response with a nod and a smile.

It's an opinion though - it tends to get imposed on people as a fact.

Carlos_Ray

Lies, damned lies, and statistics.

Sea Filly

Onixx wrote: »

Well that's the impression I get.

I don't get that impression at all. It's the weather forum, where people get excited about different kinds of weather conditions. There's a thread there where people are bemoaning the lack of sunny weather this summer.

Cú Giobach

Onixx wrote: »

<<<Lots of stuff>>>

Good V's Bad weather is subjective, depending on person, time, place, previous weather conditions and mood.

There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing, fact. 
I've said "fact" at the end of my claim so it must be true.

Actually since weather is how our planet regulates temperature and moves moisture around, the statement is a hell of a lot truer than you might imagine. No weather would be bad, very fooking bad. I would hardly describe something essential for life as "bad".

Miss Brightside

This is a 6 page thread about whether or not it rains a lot in Ireland.

PickledLime

Downlinz wrote: »

When we're considerably below average in our rainfall?

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/geo_pre-geography-precipitation

Less time looking at graphs and more time looking out your window!

Mr. CooL ICE

The sun shines the least in ireland. And im not backing that up with any facts because the weather is ****e and im depressed

Tar.Aldarion

Because galway.


There if you go somewhere a five minute walk away...best bring a spare set of clothes.

Reindeer

Downlinz wrote: »

Ok so what about western countries like the US and UK who are the main proprietors of the stereotype, don't have monsoon seasons and yet have more rain than us?

That chart is a precipitation chart, not simply a rainfall chart. The US gets a lot of snowfall as precipitation during the winters. But the biggest contributing factor to the US rainfall are hurricanes and tropical storms. We've all seen the photos of hurricane Katrina and New Orleans. Well, that just happened to smack right in to NOLA. The US averages about 2 Hurricane landfalls a year, but there are about a dozen or more that spawn in waters just off of the US coast during the summer months that push moisture into the southern states every year.

I was sent to Houston, TX in 2001 to fix some systems damaged by tropical storm Allison(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_Storm_Allison). This storm(not a hurricane) was about 1/3 the size of France, it made landfall, cruised in to Texas for a day or two, basically sat over Houston(population 4 million) for that time, then was pushed back out to the Gulf due to the high pressures inland. Then, as is typical, it cruised up the eastern seaboard, dropping rain along the way: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Allison_2001_track.png

The storm dropped 40 inches of rain(over 1000mm) over Houston alone over the span of basically a weekend. The US sees about 2 of those each year as well. So, in a weekend, Texas saw more rain than Ireland sees in a year. And they had 3 more storms headed their way that year. Houston averages 200 days of sun per year, with the Texas average being 250, and El Paso topping the charts at 300.

In the other extreme, we have Alaska. Texas is slightly larger than France. If you took Alaska and split it exactly in half, Texas would be the 3rd largest state in the US, and by no small margin. The entirety of Alaska is covered in snow every year. Valdez, Alaska receives 320 inches(8.1 Metres) of snow per year. 10 inches of snow usually is equal to one inch of rainfall. But, we do not know if they make that conversion in that chart, or if they take the 8.1 metres and simply spread it out in the stats as 'precipitation'.

Anywho, ya get the idea. Texas is known as a sunny state. Yet, they have torrential rainfall every year near the Gulf Coast, but in a limited time span. Whereas Ireland likes to soak in it at a lazy pace; spread it relatively thinly throughout the year to make sure we don't overdose on sunlight.

This all sort of begs the question... is it vitamin D that's the cure to all our troubles and worries?