Dry and Mild February

 This February is now looking very bland and dry for Ireland.  So far Casement has only had 1.1mm of rain for the 1st week! The West has had a bit of drizzle at times. This weather is going to continue for the next couple of weeks with some very Spring like weather likely at times as High Pressure is lodged nearby. Temperatures could very well rise right up to 15c during the month. Next weekend is one of these opportunities. 

So despite previous predictions of cold weather in the midmonth period it now looks as if mainly mild prevails. Of course an odd frost will be possible but nothing like the cold of last month below for memories. 

February Forecast Nightmare

 February is normally a month that is dominated by an Easterly or wet but 2023 is all very knife edge stuff. Some of the forecasting models are predicting quite a mild month while other ones such as the GFS are showing a colder outcome. 

What would seem likely to happen is that it will start off relatively mild and breezy with a little rain but then further into the month things get that bit drier.

Certainly February's weather in Ireland will be dominated by high pressure near or over Ireland but whether it brings mild or cold weather is whats open to question.

At the moment there is quite a low possibility that Ireland goes into the freezer after midmonth but what seems more likely is that the cold weather will be to the East and in Britain and the continent while the temperatures here will likely be 7 to 10c. 

The second half of February looks like being cooler than average and mild weather looks very much off the table. This is due to a Sudden Stratospheric Warming event that happens in the Arctic every couple of years and this year it has just started. It results in the Polar airmass becoming displaced and initially it looks like being displaced over the US and Canada. After this parts of Rusdia and Northern Europe become targets and its then that cold air may seep in from the East over Ireland.

So an interesting month indeed and the cold temperatures could last well into Spring. 

Freezing weather for Ireland begins

 The much heralded cold spell has arrived in Ireland bringing the coldest weather since 2010. Last night temperatures sunk to -7 at Mt Dillon and there was snow in Dublin. This only signals day one of a cold spell that is set to last until at least mid December and may last even longer. Over 60 per cent of weather charts show cold weather while 37 per cent show milder scenarios. 

Lowest temperature -7c 

Most snow 2cm Dublin 16. 

Keep tuned for further updates. 

Heavy Snow for Ireland this week

 There is heavy sleet and snow in the forecast for Ireland this week. There will be very cold Northerly winds as a low pressure system moves down from the Northeast. This will bring some extremely cold weather with temperatures going as low as minus 4 at night with ice and snow by the day. Conditions will be very dangerous on the roads especially after midweek and there are likely to be several weather warnings in place during this time. As we can see from the map the Wintry showers have already arrived in the East. Further updates to follow. 

How to Change Team Name in World Cup Fantasy

 So with the weather cold and unsettled it's time to settle down and watch the world cup. So let's enter the fantasy world Cup on these dark and cold nights. Oops I've signed in. But my username is my own name. How do I change it? 

The 1st thing to do is quit the league you have joined and sign out by pressing leave league. Then get another email address you have and create a new username through this one. If you don't have an email address just create a new one it's pretty simple and the username prompt will come up. Once again create a new name but this time your username will be your team name and voila.

Ok back to the weather. Its staying cool and cat. Actually Qatar. 

7 reasons why Irelands weather has turned unsettled

 After Ireland had such a dry and fairly warm Summer overall the pattern of weather that Autumn has greeted us with has come as a bit of a shock to the system. There has been rain on most days and no sign at all of any dry weather.

But what is causing all this? Let's go through some of the causes step by step.

1. The sea temperatures. 

Over the Summer the sea temperatures had been very warm. However as High Pressure was over or near Ireland at this time the moisture being built up over the warm Oceans was kept well off our shores. When eventually the next Low was to come it would bring quite large rainfall amounts. So if all this rainfall then has fallen why are we still getting more.

2. The pressure 

Unfortunately the High that was over us in the Summer has simply migrated slightly East to Europe meaning that Ireland is stuck with a conveyor belt of low pressure systems driving rain to our shores. But how come there's so many lows? I thought there was only one or two low pressure systems at a time. 

3. The Dumbbell Effect

What the hell is the dumbell effect I hear you cry. Well it's the name given as the same low pressure system keeps reinvigorating itself as it has nowhere to go due to the high pressure to the East of the UK (where they are also seeing endless rain). So why is the rain so heavy and thundery? Doesn't this just happen in High Summer?

4. "High" temperatures

The High Pressure that lies over Europe is drawing up very warm air as we have seen over parts of Europe in the past week with temperatures of 30.3c in San Sebastian and 35c in Seville and 32c in France. To the West of the High the Low Pressure systems are pushing cooler air but as it meets the drier warmer air convection is occurring causing sparks and very heavy rain. So is there any reason why suddenly from being so quiet that the weather has taken such a nasty turn?

5. The Jet Stream

We often hear Met Eireann and the UK Met Office talk about how the jetstream affects our weather. Well here at weathergossip just think of it this way. If the jet is weak or to our North we tend to get benign weather but an active jet like we have now causes very unsettled weather when it is near or over Ireland. Think Summers 2007 to 2012. Yes yuk. OK so are we stuck with this unsettled weather?

6. Nothing lasts forever...even cold November rain

Well that's what Guns and Roses told us and maybe they had a point. Despite the fact that it seems like the weather is going to be endlessly unsettled due to these "dumbbell lows" it more than likely won't be. So what is going to end this period of unsettled wet weather? Read on

7. How this unsettled weather will likely end

The weather came from the South during most of October  Repeated rainfall from the South can last weeks on end pressed up against such a strong high. But there has been a bit of a pattern shift. We have seen a more Southwesterly pattern emerge and this could mean things beginning to settle down around mid November especially in the South and East. There is still likely to be light rain or drizzle in the West and North but with lighter winds later in November temperatures should improve into the mid teens. So get over the next 10 days and things should begin to dry out then.