If you’ve ever had your wheelie bin take flight like a budget airline or watched your neighbour’s trampoline relocate to Donegal, you’ve prepared for Storm Floris. And let’s be honest, when it comes to weather, Ireland doesn’t do things by halves. Over the last 50 years, we’ve had storms so fierce they could’ve made Saint Patrick rethink his snake-ban strategy.
Let’s take a wind-whipped walk down memory lane, shall we?
Hurricane Charley (1986): The Wettest Welcome
Charley arrived in August 1986 like a soggy guest who overstayed his welcome. Dublin saw over 200mm of rain in 24 hours, enough to make Noah start measuring timber. Rivers burst, roads vanished, and umbrellas everywhere filed for early retirement. It was one of the wettest storms in Irish history, and the only time people wished their wellies came with flotation devices.
Storm Darwin (2014): The Tree Massacre
Darwin didn’t just blow through Ireland—he redecorated it. With gusts up to 170 km/h, this February storm uprooted over 7.5 million trees, which is basically Ireland’s version of deforestation speed dating. Power lines went down, roofs took off, and the Kinsale Energy Gas Platform recorded a wave height of 25 metres. That’s taller than Bono’s ego on Grammy night.
Storm Ophelia (2017): The Diva of Destruction
Ophelia was the Beyoncé of storms: dramatic, powerful, and impossible to ignore. She strutted in from the Atlantic with hurricane-level winds and a flair for chaos. Schools closed, flights were grounded, and even the Irish government said, “Right lads, stay indoors.” Tragically, three lives were lost, and the country learned that when Met Éireann says “red warning,” we really do have to be taking it seriously.
Storm Ellen (2020): The Sneaky One
Ellen was like that cousin who shows up uninvited and drinks all your tea. She hit in August, just when we thought summer might actually happen. With winds over 100 km/h and flooding galore, she reminded us that Irish summers are just winter with brighter evenings.
Bonus Before Storm Floris: Snow Storm Emma (2018)
Not technically a storm, but Emma deserves a shoutout for turning Ireland into a snow globe. Bread shelves emptied faster than a pub on Good Friday, and people rediscovered the joy of sledding on baking trays. It was the only time Irish people wished they’d invested in snow tyres instead of patio heaters.
So What’s the Forecast for Storm Floris?
If history tells us anything, it’s that Irish storms are like your Aunt Maureen’s stories; long, unpredictable, and occasionally dramatic. But they also bring out the best in us: neighbours helping neighbours, kettle-boiling resilience, and the eternal hope that maybe next year, we’ll get a proper summer.
So next time the wind howls and your garden gnome goes missing during Storm Floris, just remember, you’re living through history. And possibly sharing a fence with it.
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