[Thunderblaster]

Anyone recall an evening and night time batch of thunderstorms, widespread and some locally severe that affected many parts Ireland on 29th July 1980, resulting in flash floods in places? The storm came from an active trough lying close to the SW coast, which moved up over the country that evening and night.

[BUTTERFLY]

Thunderblaster said:

There was a kid killed in Dublin back in April 12th 2008 by lightning.

By KID here, I presume a child, rather than a young goat, is meant, although as I have pointed out, there is no report of any fatalities in the April 2008 report from Met Eireann on their website.

As the population of Britain is denser, in terms of people per square mile, than Ireland, and the overall land area is larger, one would expect more fatalities from lightning, although one would also suspect that the number of lightning strokes per unit area per year is signicantly less than in Britain. Possibly until relatively recent years historically, there may have been proportionally more people working outside in farming, etc, which might tend to compensate to some extent for this. Interrestingly the first recorded tornado in Europe was near Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath, in central Ireland, on April 30th 1854, some years before the first in Britain at St. Mary le Bow in central London on 23rd October 1091 - see http://www.torro.org...rlwind_info.php, though no doubt tornadoes have been occurring in the British Isles since at least some time after the end of the last Ice Age when the climate warmed up sufficiently to permit these.

There are on average fewer days with thunder per year, and in most cases these tend to be distant and short lived. A severe thunderstorm lasting for several hours is relatively rare in Ireland. There is possibly also not as prounounced a summer maximum, as thunder can occur during the passage of a cold front in winter, etc.

[jonathanwebb]

Here is the 2008 BBC report of the incident
http://news.bbc.co.u...and/7345033.stm

Incidentally, regarding the earliest Ireland tornado I am sure you meant 1054 and not 1854?

BUTTERFLY, on 31 July 2012 - 12:11, said:

By KID here, I presume a child, rather than a young goat, is meant, although as I have pointed out, there is no report of any fatalities in the April 2008 report from Met Eireann on their website.

As the population of Britain is denser, in terms of people per square mile, than Ireland, and the overall land area is larger, one would expect more fatalities from lightning, although one would also suspect that the number of lightning strokes per unit area per year is signicantly less than in Britain. Possibly until relatively recent years historically, there may have been proportionally more people working outside in farming, etc, which might tend to compensate to some extent for this. Interrestingly the first recorded tornado in Europe was near Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath, in central Ireland, on April 30th 1854, some years before the first in Britain at St. Mary le Bow in central London on 23rd October 1091 - see http://www.torro.org...rlwind_info.php, though no doubt tornadoes have been occurring in the British Isles since at least some time after the end of the last Ice Age when the climate warmed up sufficiently to permit these.

There are on average fewer days with thunder per year, and in most cases these tend to be distant and short lived. A severe thunderstorm lasting for several hours is relatively rare in Ireland. There is possibly also not as prounounced a summer maximum, as thunder can occur during the passage of a cold front in winter, etc.

[BUTTERFLY]

"Incidentally, regarding the earliest Ireland tornado I am sure you meant 1054 and not 1854?"

Yes, sorry I meant 1054. I was actually in the same area near Kilbeggan on 1st August, but perhaps fortunately the weather was quite good!