The five worst Irish storms of all time remembered

Hurricanes, cyclones, blinding snow, flash floods all included

The five worst Irish storms of all time remembered

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3. Hurricane Katia September 2011

Hurricane Katia  battered Ireland and caused havoc across the country
Hurricane force winds and giant waves led to transport chaos, trees down, damaged buildings and flooding.

The government’s weather forecasters Met Eireann has issued an extreme weather warning amid predictions of storm gusts of up to 130kmph battering the west and north west coast.

Peak winds of 115kmph swept across the rest of the country thanks to the tail end of Hurricane Katia which was classified a category four hurricane when it hit the US coastline earlier that month.

Read more: Warnings issued as Hurricane Katia batters Ireland en route to Scotland

4. 1963 Worst winter on record

The winter of 1962/1963 continues to be a much talked about winter in Ireland – and with good reason, for it still remains the coldest winter on record in Ireland  and the UK since records began, writes Irish Weather Online’s Patrick Gordon.

The consistency of low daily mean temperatures that set in during the Christmas period of 1962 and which lasted right up to the middle of March was truly remarkable. Although it is acknowledged that the winter of 1962-1963 did extend itself into a good part of March.

Snow showers continued to fall in counties Wicklow, Waterford, Wexford, Cork, Tipperary, Limerick, Kildare and Kilkenny which added to the already significant accumulations in these areas and further isolated rural areas. In Europe, it was reported that at least 500 people had died due to the intense cold that had set in during late December. 

5. Hurricane Charley 1986 August 20th

A hurricane downgraded to an extratropical cyclone, Charley brought heavy rainfall and strong winds to Ireland and the United Kingdom, causing at least 11 deaths.

In Ireland, the rainfall set records for 24 hour totals, including an accumulation of more than 7.8 in (200 mm) which set the record for the greatest daily rainfall total in the country.

In the country, the rainfall caused widespread flooding, resulting in two rivers bursting their banks.  In the United Kingdom, the storm caused downed trees and power lines, as well as flooded rivers.