SNOW STORM EMMA REVIEW - 1 YEAR ON

An Analysis of Storm Emma and the cold spell which struck Ireland between the 28th of February and the 4th of March 2018 by Met Eireann.

One of the most significant snowfall events of recent years affected Ireland in late February and early March. Weather from the 27th February to 4th of March saw temperatures plummet with widespread snowfall across the country. Temperatures struggled to rise above freezing as bitterly cold easterly winds swept in over the country causing widespread disruptions to roads, rail and air travel, with work and school closures.

This report describes what a Sudden Stratospheric Warming is and how on the 12th of February 2018, a Sudden Stratospheric Warming influenced the synoptic weather patterns in the Northern Hemisphere a few weeks later, which led directly to the cold spell in Ireland. It gives a detailed account of the cold spell, dubbed the ‘Beast from the East’, and storm Emma’s development and path towards Ireland. It also provides an account of the warnings and advisories issued by Met Éireann and the impacts the cold spell had on the country.

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Much of the snow that fell in the first few days of the event fell in the form of showers or bands of snow as the strong bitterly cold easterly winds picked up moisture from the Irish sea. At first the East and Midlands received the bulk of the snow as shown in figure 10 below, however the showers pushed well inland at times with strong winds giving accumulations in places that might not normally receive much snow in this kind of setup. Storm Emma pushed persistent frontal snow up from the south from late on Thursday the 1st which lead to snow accumulations in many other parts of the country.