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RTÉ News
22-04-2025
- Climate
- RTÉ News
The extraordinary power of Storm Eowyn
Dr Indiana Olbert, School of Engineering at the University of Galway on the impact of storm Eowyn.
The Irish Sun
22-04-2025
- Climate
- The Irish Sun
‘Double disaster' warning as Ireland ‘very lucky' to miss devastating floods amid stark ‘more extreme weather' alert
PARTS of Ireland could have been completely devastated by flooding if the record breaking Storm Eowyn had hit just one week earlier, new research has shown. The January storm 3 Storm surge research team, Dr Niall Madden, Dr Indiana Olbert and Alexander Shchepetkin Credit: Aengus McMahon/University of Galway/PA 3 A roof that blew off and destroyed a house, in the aftermath of Storm Eowyn, on Lettermullan Island Credit: REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne Researchers at the University of Galway have been studying the During the storm on 24 January, The The study from the University of READ MORE IRISH NEWS However, the research team claim that if the storm had hit just one week earlier during the high water spring tide – parts of Galway, The data shows that the storm surge in Galway Port would have reached 4.96 metres, Limerick Dock would be rocked with waves of 5.85 metres and Shannon Airport hit with 5.43 waves. Dr Niall Madden of the University of Galway said parts of Ireland could have been hit by "double disaster" if the storm hit hours earlier. He said: 'In spite of how devastating MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN 'The worst of the storm surge coincided with a low and ebbing tide. 'Worse than Christmas', cries as shop shelves CLEARED OUT amid Storm Eowyn "Had it hit just a few hours earlier, on a full or flooding tide, Galway could have been dealing with a double disaster of record high winds and record high flooding.' Dr Indiana Olbert, School of Engineering at University of Galway's College of Science and Engineering, warned of future risks. Dr Olbert said: 'Extensive research suggest that flooding has increased in frequency and severity in recent decades around the world and this is attributed to climate change. "Our analysis of the drivers of flooding in Ireland show that the anthropogenic climate change – that's the changes related to human activity - will drive more extreme rainfall and generate more intense flooding. DISASTER NARROWLY AVOIDED "Such changes are likely to continue with further warming. "In future we will witness 'Our analysis also shows that a rise in mean sea level rise will significantly increase the risk of coastal flooding in the future. "The data we have recovered from the hours around Storm Éowyn shows just how narrowly tens of thousands of people avoided tidal inundation and threats to cities, towns and coastal communities. "It is hard to imagine how narrowly we avoided unprecedented storm surge flooding and an inundation, in particular in towns and cities." 3 Waves crash onto the shore in Bantry Bay, on the south-west coast of Ireland on the morning of January 24, 2025 Credit: Getty Images
Irish Examiner
22-04-2025
- Climate
- Irish Examiner
Ireland's west coast had 'near miss' from devastating floods during Storm Éowyn, scientists found
Parts of Ireland's west coast had an 'unfathomable near miss' when Storm Éowyn hit in January, as tens of thousands narrowly avoided devastating flooding, new research has found. Furthermore, climate change will likely bring 'devastating floods' into the future as such events become more frequent. A team at the University of Galway said the storm generated the highest storm surges ever recorded at key locations on the western seaboard. If it had struck even a week earlier during the high water spring tide, water levels would have been far higher in places like Galway Port, Limerick Dock and Shannon Airport. 'In spite of how devastating Storm Éowyn was, in an odd way, we were incredibly lucky,' said University of Galway's Dr Niall Madden. 'The worst of the storm surge coincided with a low and ebbing tide. Had it hit just a few hours earlier, on a full or flooding tide, Galway could have been dealing with a double disaster of record high winds and record high flooding.' In late January, Storm Éowyn brought widespread disruption to Ireland. Met Éireann issued red alert warnings across much of the country, with fallen power lines and fallen trees a particular widespread hazard. In its wake, it left hundreds of thousands of people without power and water, with some households left without electricity for weeks. The team at Galway's School of Engineering analysed the sea level information from 47 separate datasets. They found Storm Éowyn to have brought 'unprecedented power' as it surged, more than 2.5m above the normal predicted tidal water level. It also saw record breaking winds with a gust of 184km/h recorded, along with the highest 10-minute wind speed reaching 142km/h at Mace Head Atmospheric Research Station in Galway. However, despite its severity in other ways, the timing of the tides during the storm meant there were little to no flooding impacts. The research team highlighted data from three coastal locations to show how the impact could have been much worse. At Galway Port, the storm surge peaked at 2.60m above the normal predicted tide, the highest ever recorded since the station started operating in 2007. In Limerick, the highest surge along the western coastline was recorded at almost 3m above tidal level. And, at Shannon Airport, the tidal gauge saw a surge of 2.70m. If these surges had occurred a week earlier, these areas could have faced severe flooding due to the high tides, the researchers said. Dr Indiana Olbert, from University of Galway's School of Engineering, said climate change would drive even more extreme rainfall and generate more intense flooding going forward. 'The data we have recovered from the hours around Storm Éowyn shows just how narrowly tens of thousands of people avoided tidal inundation and threats to cities, towns and coastal communities," she said. "It is hard to imagine how narrowly we avoided unprecedented storm surge flooding and an inundation, in particular in towns and cities.' Read More Earth Day: TDs and senators urged to scrutinise climate policies
Irish Daily Mirror
22-04-2025
- Climate
- Irish Daily Mirror
Study shows power of Storm Eowyn and how one county escaped record high flooding
Storm Eowyn generated the highest storm surges ever recorded at key locations on Ireland's western seaboard, a research team at University of Galway has revealed. Researchers found that if Storm Eowyn had hit a few hours earlier, Galway could have faced record high winds as well as record high flooding but it escaped high water levels as the storm coincided with a low tide. By analysing sea level information from 47 databases provided by the Irish National Tide Gauge Network and the Office of Public Works, the team based at the university's School of Engineering has highlighted the unprecedented power of the storm's surge – more than 2.5 metres above the mean sea level. Storm Eowyn, one of the most powerful storms to hit Ireland in recent years, also saw record-breaking winds. The highest gust recorded was 184 km/h, with the highest 10-minute wind speed reaching 142 km/h at Mace Head Atmospheric Research Station in Co Galway. Despite the severity of Storm Eowyn and the devastation brought by hurricane force winds and lasting damage to power and water supplies, the timing of the tides during storm landfall meant little to no flooding impacts, the research found. The research team highlighted data from three coastal locations during Storm Eowyn – Galway Port, Limerick Docks and Shannon Airport. At Galway Port, the storm surge peaked at 2.60 metres above mean sea level – the average height of the sea surface – the highest ever recorded at this station since its operation began in 2007. At Limerick Docks the highest surge along the western coastline was recorded as reaching 2.99 metres above mean sea level. At Shannon Airport, the tidal gauge recorded a surge of 2.70 metres. Researchers said that had these surges occurred a week earlier during the spring tide, the water levels would have been much higher. The data predicted that the water level at Galway Port would have reached 4.96m, Limerick Dock at 5.85m, and Shannon Airport at 5.43m above mean sea level, inundating the areas. Dr Indiana Olbert, from the School of Engineering at the University of Galway, said: "Extensive research suggests that flooding has increased in frequency and severity in recent decades around the world and this is attributed to climate change. "Our analysis of the drivers of flooding in Ireland show that the anthropogenic climate change – that's the changes related to human activity – will drive more extreme rainfall and generate more intense flooding. "Such changes are likely to continue with further warming. In future we will witness more extreme weather events that will result in devastating floods. "Our analysis also shows that a rise in mean sea level rise will significantly increase the risk of coastal flooding in the future. "The data we have recovered from the hours around Storm Eowyn shows just how narrowly tens of thousands of people avoided tidal inundation and threats to cities, towns and coastal communities. "It is hard to imagine how narrowly we avoided unprecedented storm surge flooding and an inundation, in particular in towns and cities." Dr Niall Madden, from the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at the University of Galway, said: "In spite of how devastating Storm Eowyn was, in an odd way, we were incredibly lucky. "The worst of the storm surge coincided with a low and ebbing tide. "Had it hit just a few hours earlier, on a full or flooding tide, Galway could have been dealing with a double disaster of record high winds and record high flooding."
BreakingNews.ie
22-04-2025
- Climate
- BreakingNews.ie
Tidal research shows Storm Éowyn generated the highest storm surges ever recorded
A research team at the University of Galway has revealed that Storm Éowyn generated the highest storm surges ever recorded at key locations on Ireland's western seaboard. By analysing sea level information from 47 datasets provided by the Irish National Tide Gauge Network and the Office of Public Works, the team based at the University's School of Engineering has highlighted the unprecedented power of the storm's surge, more than 2.5 metres above the normal predicted tidal water level. Advertisement Storm Éowyn, one of the most powerful storms to hit Ireland in recent years, also saw record-breaking winds. The highest gust recorded was 184 km/h, with the highest 10-minute wind speed reaching 142 km/h at Mace Head Atmospheric Research Station in County Galway. Despite the severity of Storm Éowyn in other ways and the devastation wrought by hurricane-force winds and lasting damage to power and water supplies, the timing of the tides during storm landfall meant little to no flooding impacts. The research team highlighted data from three coastal locations during Storm Éowyn - Galway Port, Limerick Docks and Shannon Airport. Advertisement At Galway Port, the storm surge peaked at 2.60 meters above the normal predicted astronomical tide, the highest ever recorded at this station since its operation began in 2007 At Limerick Docks, the highest surge along the western coastline was recorded, reaching 2.99 meters above tidal level At Shannon Airport, the tidal gauge recorded a surge of 2.70 meters. Had these surges occurred a week earlier during the high water spring tide, the water levels would have been much higher, with data predicting that the water level at Galway Port would have reached 4.96m, Limerick Dock at 5.85m, and Shannon Airport at 5.43m above mean sea level, inundating the areas. Advertisement Ireland Young boy dies after being struck by car in Co Wes... Read More Dr Indiana Olbert from the School of Engineering at the University of Galway said: 'Extensive research suggests that flooding has increased in frequency and severity in recent decades around the world, which is attributed to climate change. Our analysis of the drivers of flooding in Ireland shows that the anthropogenic climate change – the changes related to human activity - will drive more extreme rainfall and generate more intense flooding. Such changes are likely to continue with further warming. In future we will witness more extreme weather events that will result in devastating floods. 'Our analysis also shows that a rise in mean sea level rise will significantly increase the risk of coastal flooding in the future. "The data we have recovered from the hours around Storm Éowyn shows just how narrowly tens of thousands of people avoided tidal inundation and threats to cities, towns and coastal communities. It is hard to imagine how narrowly we avoided unprecedented storm surge flooding and inundation, in particular in towns and cities.'
