Ballyhaise records wettest day of winter

The winter gone by has been, according to Met Éireann’s seasonal data, the wettest on record for many of the country’s weather stations, with the wettest day recorded at Ballyhaise.
The Ballyhaise Automatic Weather Station (AWS) situated within the grounds of Teagasc Agricultural College registered the wettest day, nationally, on February 17 last month, with a total of 34.5mm of rainfall.
For the station, which was installed in 2003, replacing the former synoptic station in Clones, it was the wettest winter day experienced in the there for six years.
Over half of stations across the State reported winter 2013/14 as the wettest on record, according to data released by Met Éireann. Rainfall totals were well above Long Term Average (LTA) everywhere, ranging from 143% (510.1mm) of average values at Finner, Donegal to 208% (460.5mm) at Carlow Oakpark.
The number of wet days during the season ranged from 50-80 around the country, with winds averages also well above those normally experienced, with storm force winds hitting many areas causing the weather office to issue Amber to Orange weather warnings.
Storm-force winds were recorded on February 1, 8 and 12, while gale force winds were reported on 23 days during the month, with severe gales on 13 days.
Lightning activity was also recorded on almost two-thirds of the days of the month, with the heaviest activity on February 1, 11, 12 and 13.
Elsewhere, Met Éireann noted that a wave of 25 metres (82 feet) was reported on February 12 off the coast of Kinsale.