Irish Weather

Posted By: Zachary Yonda
Posted On: February 4th, 2019
Attending: Sligo Institute of Technology

After my second week in Ireland I stopped checking the weather in the morning and got used to expecting the unexpected. The only constant here is rain. Rain or shine the mist, drizzle, or short shower is a daily occurrence. However rain here is different than in the states. I’ve yet to witness a true downpour, the kind during the dog days of summer when suddenly skies darkens, winds roar, and clouds dump sheets of rain while lightning cracks and thunder claps. As a matter of fact, I haven’t heard thunder or seen lightning since leaving Pennsylvania so many months ago. Sligo may not have thunderstorms, but some of the weather that rolls in off the Atlantic is just as extreme.

Before my year abroad I always assumed the phrase “it’s raining sideways” was a hyperbole, or something out of Family Guy. It literally rains sideways in Sligo. You don’t understand it until you’re holding your umbrella at a 45 degree angle, not even covering your head, and somehow you’re staying dry. Drastic weather changes are the norm. One day I woke up to overcast and slight rain, walked to class under blue skies and sunshine, and walked home through a hail storm. It also rains on perfectly sunny days. Too many times I’ve looked up searching for the dark cloud that is currently drenching my clothes only to scowl, throw up my hood, and seek shelter under nearby tree. Often the ensuing rainbow makes me quickly forget any discomfort. In Ireland the rainbows are spectacular (below).

This past week it snowed in Sligo, a phenomenon that only happens every few years according to the locals. There was only 2-3 inches on the ground but Sligo was shut down like Christmas Day. That night at practice six players showed, and four of them were our international guys. It’s been on my bucket list to see a snow-covered beach, but unfortunately I couldn’t find a way down to the coast. I got some nice shots of the mountains instead (below).

One thing each new day brings is more daylight. The sun peeks over the hills around 8:30 AM now, and doesn’t dip below the ocean until 5:30 PM. Each week there is noticeable improvement. I’ve seen summer and winter in Ireland, but there wasn’t much of a Fall in Sligo. Almost overnight it went from being 60 degrees and only raining a few days a week to raining every day and being 40 degrees. Will there be a true Spring? We shall see. I still won’t be checking the forecast.

 

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