Met Éireann confirms Storm Éowyn set new wind speed records in Ireland

Workers clearing a fallen tree on Grove Park Drive in Dublin as ESB networks continue to reconnect homes and businesses across the country after Storm Eowyn wreaked havoc throughout the country. Picture: PA

Storm Éowyn brought hurricane-force winds and new wind speed records for Ireland, according to Met Éireann.

The forecaster's climate statement for January revealed that two weather stations reached hurricane-force 12 on the Beaufort wind scale during the storm last month.

These stations were Malin Head in Co Donegal and Mace Head in Co Galway, with the speeds recorded on Friday, January 24, during the peak of Storm Éowyn.

Both the month's highest gust (184km/h) and 10-minute mean wind speed (142km/h) were reported at the Mace Head station in Co Galway on the day of the storm.

These are Ireland’s highest provisional wind speeds since digital records began.

Elsewhere, four stations also reached violent storm-force 11 on January 24: 

• Knock Airport in Co Mayo; 
• Mace Head in Co Galway; 
• Finner in Co Donegal; 
• Malin Head in Co Donegal.

Additionally, eight other stations—Roches Point and Sherkin Island in Co Cork, Belmullet and Knock Airport in Co Mayo, Mace Head in Co Galway, Finner and Malin Head in Co Donegal, and Shannon Airport in Co Clare—reached storm-force 10 on the Beaufort wind scale.

Several other station records for wind were broken during Storm Éowyn.

The highest gusts on record were reported at:

• Finner, Co Donegal: 150 km/h; 
• Athenry, Co Galway: 139 km/h;
• Gurteen, Co Tipperary: 124 km/h.

Temperature

Meanwhile, temperatures in Ireland were below average in most areas for January, despite it being the warmest January on record globally, according to new data from the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Globally, the average air temperature recorded last month was 13.23C, which was 0.79C above the long-term 1991-2020 January average.

However, in Ireland, the mean temperature for the month was 0.45C below the long-term average.

The month's highest temperature of 14.2C was recorded at Finner in Co Donegal on January 13, while the lowest air temperature of -7.6C was recorded at Athenry in Co Galway on January 9.

The lowest grass minimum temperature of -11.8C was reported at Mullingar in Co Westmeath on the same day.

Rainfall 

In terms of rainfall, it was driest in the northwest and wettest in the south and east during January.

However, the majority of monthly rainfall totals across the country were below their long-term average.

The highest daily rainfall total of 37.4 mm was recorded at Valentia Observatory in Co Kerry on January 4.

Belmullet in Co Mayo recorded 27 days of rain during the month, while a dry spell of 17 days was reported at Phoenix Park from January 6–22.

Meanwhile, Johnstown Castle in Co Wexford had its wettest January since 1998, with 153.8 mm of rain.

Sunshine 

Sunshine across Ireland was above average for January, with the sunniest conditions in the east.

All available sunshine totals were above their long-term average.

Casement Aerodrome in Co Dublin recorded its sunniest January on record, with 81.1 hours of sunshine.

The highest number of daily sunshine hours recorded this month was 8.0 hours at Johnstown Castle in Co Wexford on January 31.

The number of dull days ranged from 10 days at Malin Head in Co Donegal to 14 days at Johnstown Castle in Co Wexford.