THIS DAY 8 YEARS AGO SEEN VERY COLD TEMPERATURES AND BIG SNOWFALL
The Extreme Cold Spell of November – December 2010
Following the middle of November 2010, the weather turned progressively colder. By the end of the month, we had accumulations of snow over most of the country, accompanied by extremely low temperatures. Both Dublin Airport (-8.4°C) and Casement Aerodrome (- 9.1°C) had their lowest November temperatures on record on the 28th . The very cold weather continued into early December with further sleet and snow, accompanied by daytime temperatures close to freezing and night-time values dropping below -10°C (-16°C at Mount Juliet on 3rd ).
After an improvement in temperatures for 5 or 6 days, although still cold, it became extremely cold again from 16th with snow at times leading to significant accumulations and record low December temperatures. Daytime temperatures failed to go above freezing on many days during this period and we had 9 consecutive days when temperatures remained below zero in some areas. Night-time temperatures below -10°C became a regular feature, reaching as low as -17.5°C in Co. Mayo on 25th . Ballyhaise had the coldest day on record at any station on 21st when the temperature only got up to -9.4°C. The very low temperatures sustained over this duration allowed freezing conditions to penetrate into the ground. Soil temperatures below freezing point at a depth of 20cm were recorded at a number of our stations. Earth temperatures just below zero at a depth of 30cm were recorded at Oak Park, Carlow.
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There is no single figure which classifies a spell of cold weather and allows fully objective comparison with previous events. Important factors are the duration of the cold weather, how cold it was and how much snow. This particular cold spell was notable for being the earliest spell of significant duration (started in November). It was also notable for the sustained extreme low temperatures. While many areas had significant and disruptive accumulations of snow, measured snow depths at stations with long records (27cm at Casement Aerodrome and 20 cm at Dublin Airport being the highest) would put December 2010 in the three biggest snow events but not the worst.
27th to 30th: As the anticyclone shifted to the far northwest of Ireland, a bitterly cold northeasterly airstream brought a sharp drop in temperatures across the country. Wintry showers, initially in coastal areas of the east and northwest, became more widespread during the period, resulting in accumulations of snow over most of the country. Showers were thundery at times in eastern areas. Exceptionally low air and ground temperatures were measured in Leinster on the 28th and 29th, but severe frost was widespread, with freezing fog in places.
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