Can we expect a white Christmas in Ireland?
With the unexpected sign of snow hitting our hill-top this week, I immediately turned to the weather forecast to see what might be in store over the coming days and months.
Our snowy lane on the 19th November 2013
First of all, because the Callan community gardeners mentioned him on Monday, my first Google search was for New Zealand weather guru Ken Ring. I found a short Radio Kerry podcast where his long-term forecast suggested hard frosts at the end of November but nothing too substantial in the way of snow until February. All in all, a typical Irish winter.
I then turned to Weather Online where nothing exciting is expected this week in terms of snow, but it will be chilly with night-time temperatures down to 0°C and daytime at 8°C.
The Met Éireann website isn’t offering much more in terms of exciting weather news, with maximum temperatures expected to reach 7°C in County Carlow and although their qualified meteorologists may be the experts, on the whole I don’t find their on-line information very easy to fathom.
A snowy surprise was in store for us this week in the Greenside Up garden
Finally I came across the Irish Weather Network which is my favourite so far. Not only did it give me detailed information about the weather forecast this week, with wintry showers and sharp frosts expected, there’s also a page explaining how to predict snow, which might be handy next time I’m worried about making that dreaded school run down the slippery hills! I found their help invaluable a couple of years ago when we experienced the severe snow, as well as correct to within hours on their snowfall predictions.
So, back to the question about whether we’ll be experiencing a white Christmas, a harsh winter or long cold spring, I’m thinking I should have stuck with RTE’s Evelyn Cusack for advice, who shared a brilliant quote over the weekend during her evening weather forecast.
I kind of like her way of thinking, what do you think?
Do you rely on the postman or nature’s cues to gauge the weather or do you just take it as it comes?
Post script: the video linked is open to interpretation so it seems – mine might be different from yours!
Dee Sewell – a horticulturalist and certified trainer who started Greenside Up in 2009 and teaches people how to grow vegetables. Dee specialises in working with community gardens but also offers workshops, allotment visits, consultations, horticultural therapy, afterschools clubs as well as local talks – she tailors her services to meet clients needs. In 2012 Dee launched a Seed Gift Collection containing varieties of vegetable and insect friendly flowers with the aim of getting more people growing. Dee’s blog was a finalist in the 2012 Ireland Blog Awards in the Eco/Green and Lifestyle Categories.
Source: GreensideUp – Will the 2013/14 Irish Winter Be Another Long, Cold One? – Dee Sewell
