Natural disasters in Ireland

Ireland is mostly affected by storms more than any other type of natural disasters. These bring casualties, great damage and losses. One previously recorded natural disaster was the:

Night of the Big Wind

The Night of the Big Wind was a severe European windstorm which swept across Ireland on the night of January 6-January 7, 1839 causing severe damage to property and several hundred deaths.The storm developed after a period of unusual weather. Heavy snow, rare in Ireland, fell across the country on the night of January 5, which was replaced on the morning of January 6 by an Atlantic warm front, which brought a period of complete calm with dense, motionless, cloud cover. Through the day, temperatures rose well above their seasonal average, resulting in rapid melting of the snow.During daytime on the 6th, a deep Atlantic depression began to move towards Ireland, creating a cold front when it collided with the warm air over land, bringing strong winds and heavy rain. First reports of stormy weather came from western County Mayo around noon, and the storm moved very slowly across the island through the day, gathering strength as it moved.Much of the inland damage was caused by the storm depositing large quantities of sea water inland, resulting in widespread flooding.Even well-built buildings suffered structural damage, including new factories and military barracks. One of the steeples of the Church of Ireland church in Castlebar was blown down, and a number of large country houses were deroofed.

If you are in the area and need to contact the emergency services you can call 112/ 999