Winter 2024/25 - General Discussion

February has been sickening and the forecast is woeful till at least Saturday. We need a Spring like 2020 and Summer like 2018 to make up for the complete lack of sun

The Met Eireann report for January 2025 is interesting reading. Obviously a month that will live long in the memory for many in Midlands and West.

The highlights…

Climate Statement for January 2025 - Met Éireann - The Irish Meteorological Service

Cool and sunny. Dry in the North and West, wet in the South and East. Record breaking winds.

Low pressure to the southwest pushed weather fronts northwest into the cold airmass over Ireland and brought heavy snow to the south Midlands, South, Southwest and West on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th. The snow lingered on the ground for several days in places.

High pressure developed to the southeast and brought milder, drier and cloudier conditions for second third of the month. The final third was dominated by a powerful Atlantic jet stream, which steered several active low pressure systems towards Western Europe. One low pressure system, named storm Éowyn by the Met Office (UK), went through explosive cyclogenesis as it approached Ireland from the southwest on Thursday 23rd and reached peak intensity as it brushed by the northwest coast of Ireland in the early hours of Friday 24th, with a sting jet feature forming on the south side of the low. This brought heavy rain and extreme winds across the country with widespread disruption and power outages.

The majority of monthly rainfall totals across the country were below their 1991-2020 Long-Term Average (LTA). The lowest monthly percentage rainfall was 47% (57.7 mm) of its LTA at Athenry, Co Galway.

The month’s highest temperature was 14.2 °C recorded at Finner, Co Donegal on Monday 13th. The month’s lowest air temperature was -7.6 °C recorded at Athenry, Co Galway on Thursday 9th (the lowest temperature at a synoptic station since December 2022).

Nine stations reported an icing day* on Wednesday 8th. All stations reported ground frost during January. The number of days with ground frost ranged from 11 days at Mace Head, Co Galway and Valentia Observatory, Co Kerry to 25 days at Phoenix Park, Co Dublin.

All available sunshine totals were above their LTA. Percentage of monthly sunshine values ranged from 135% (71.1 hours) at Shannon Airport, Co Clare to 151% (81.1 hours) at Casement Aerodrome, Co Dublin (its sunniest January on record (length 61 years).

Wind:

• On Friday 24th January 2025 during storm Éowyn the provisional highest (sustained and gust) wind speeds in the digital climate record for Ireland were reported at Mace Head, Co Galway.
• The highest gust was 99.5 knots (184 km/h) while the highest 10-minute mean wind speed was 76.5 knots (142 km/h).
• Four stations broke their highest gust records. These were Mace Head, Co Galway, Finner, Co Donegal with 150 km/h (81 knots), Athenry, Co Galway with 139 km/h (75 knots) and Gurteen, Co Tipperary with 124 km/h (67 knots) (record lengths between 13 and 21 years).
• Four stations broke their highest 10-minute mean wind speed record. These were Mach Head, Co Galway, Finner, Co Donegal with 115 km/h (62 knots), Dunsany, Co Meath with 76 km/h (41 knots) (length 19 years) and Athenry with 83 km/h (45 knots).
• Two stations reached hurricane force 12 on the Beaufort wind scale.
• Four stations reached violent storm force 11 and eight station reached storm force 10 on the Beaufort wind scale.

Sunny and mild you say, we might all end up getting sunstroke!

BBQ weather and Bulmers weather I would say. 🤣

Quick get the BBQ food in Supermarket before it runs out!

I actually can see blue skies in Dublin this morning...OMG

Sky gone a strange blue colour in Dublin 3. I think my eyes might be melting, help!

sun and blue skies in the north east after two weeks off gloom
would do your heart good imagine living in a hotter climate and seeing the sun 300 days a year

Yes it's through,

Yes it's through,

I'm so happy to be be stuck with you !

Name that one Gonzo?

As a North Tipp man living in Limerick I can report similar here now. Just hit 10.6c Happy days!

Finally got this old lady diced up before the large roots pulled her back up to 20ft tall again. She was 96 years old with no ash dieback of note. She lives on !

Now onto the next tree.

absolutely horrendous afternoon. Went out to get some steps in. Driving rain and a strong wind that would dice you up. Awful awful day.

Horrendous day. Wet last night. Very wet. Ground utterly soaked this morning. A brief interlude of dry weather for 2 hours then back to heavy rain. Leitrim

Muck.

it's quite stormy out there now with wind and heavy rain, wexford