Page last updated Mon 1 Sep 2025

Ophelia and Emma dominate, with wind and snow

There were 11 named storms during the 2017/18 storm season, which ran from Friday 1 September 2017 to Friday 31 August 2018 (inclusive). This was a remarkable season, bringing tropical remnants, violent Atlantic storms, extreme waves, heavy rain, and Arctic cold all in one.

It began in September with Aileen, an early-season gale that observed 35.6 mm of rain in Sligo and waves up to 7 m off Wexford. A month later, came ex-hurricane Ophelia in October, Ireland's most powerful storm in decades. Sustained winds of 115 km/h were observed at Roches Point, gusts reached 156 km/h here, pressure dropped to 962 hPa, and Buoy M5 measured a waves of 17.8 m. Within days, Storm Brian followed with further gales and heavy rain in Kerry.

December brought Caroline and Dylan, with gale to storm force winds and waves topping 12 m during Dylan, and a stormy end to 2017. In January 2018, violent storm Eleanor on Tuesday 2 January 2018 produced gusts of 156 km/h and waves up to 20.2 m off the Cork coast. Fionn and David reinforced the pattern with sustained storm force winds and even bigger waves at Buoy M3 (off the Cork coast) with 20.6 m. Georgina capped the month off with more heavy rain.

Then came Emma in March, and the 'Beast from the East'. While Emma's winds were less intense than Ophelia or Eleanor, its combination with severe cold (-9.7 °C in County Laois) and heavy snow turned it into an extreme weather and climate event. In June, an unusual summer storm, Hector brought Galway some storm force winds and over 50 mm of rain in the Maam Valley.

Name
(Named by)
Peak Impact Date		 Highest sustained wind speed (km/h) Highest gust wind speed (km/h) Highest daily rainfall total (mm) Daily air temperatures (°C) Lowest mean sea level pressure (hPa) Highest individual wave (m)
Aileen
(Met Office)
Tue 12 Sep 2017 		Gale Force
65 km/h
(35 knots | 40 mph)
Roches Point (coastal), Co Cork
around 9pm		 87 km/h
(47 knots | 54 mph)
Valentia Observatory (coastal), Co Kerry
at 6:39pm		 35.6 mm
Kinsellagh, Co Sligo		 5.3°C at Ballina Golf Club, Co Mayo to 17.7°C at Glengarriff (Ilnacullin), Co Cork 985.9 hPa
Casement Aerodrome, Co Dublin
around 9pm		 6.8 m
Buoy M5 (off south Wexford coast)
around 11pm
-
 OPHELIA
(NOAA/NHC)
Mon 16 Oct 2017 Icon image for PDF statement for Ophelia 		Violent Storm
115 km/h
(62 knots | 71 mph)
Roches Point (coastal), Co Cork
around noon		 156 km/h
(84 knots | 97 mph)
Roches Point (coastal), Co Cork
at 11:59am		 33.0 mm
Lough Nabruckbaddy (Glentornan Mountains), Co Donegal		 2.1°C at Mount Dillon, Co Roscommon to 19.4°C at Valentia Observatory (coastal), Co Kerry 962.2 hPa
Valentia Observatory (coastal), Co Kerry
around noon		 17.8 m
Buoy M5 (off south Wexford coast)
around 3pm
Brian
(Met Éireann)
Sat 21 Oct 2017 		Gale Force
83 km/h
(45 knots | 52 mph)
Sherkin Island (coastal), Co Cork
around 8am		 115 km/h
(62 knots | 71 mph)
Newport, Co Mayo
at 4:11pm		 83.1 mm
Beenreagh Mountains, Co Kerry Fri 20th		 2.0°C at Slieve Bloom Mountains (Nealstown), Co Laois to 16.5°C at Mallow, Co Cork 967.4 hPa
Mace Head (coastal), Co Galway
around 5am		 15.9 m
Buoy M3 (off Cork coast)
around 10am
Caroline
(Met Office)
Thu 7 & Fri 8 Dec 2017 		Gale Force
78 km/h
(42 knots | 48 mph)
Mace Head (coastal), Co Galway
around 11pm Thu 7th		 100 km/h
(54 knots | 62 mph)
Malin Head (coastal), Co Donegal
at 6:36am		 75.9 mm
Gernapeka, Co Cork Wed 6th		 -2.0°C at Mullingar, Co Westmeath to 15.0°C at Dooks, Co Kerry 994.1 hPa
Malin Head (coastal), Co Donegal
around 11pm Wed 6th		 9.4 m
Buoy M3 (off Cork coast)
around 3am on Fri
Dylan
(Met Éireann)
Sun 31 Dec 2017 		Storm Force
94 km/h
(51 knots | 59 mph)
Mace Head (coastal), Co Galway and Malin Head, Co Donegal
around 1am and 6am and Sun 31st		 124 km/h
(67 knots | 77 mph)
Malin Head (coastal), Co Donegal
at 6:08am		 19.8 mm
Tourmakeady Water Treatment Plant, Co Mayo Sat 30th		 -0.5°C at Ballyshannon, Co Donegal to 13.9°C at Dooks, Co Kerry 970.0 hPa
Malin Head (coastal), Co Donegal
around 5am		 12.2 m
Buoy M3 (off Cork coast)
around 2am
Eleanor
(Met Éireann)
Tue 2 Jan 2018 		Violent Storm
107 km/h
(58 knots | 67 mph)
Knock Airport (coastal), Co Mayo
around 7pm		 156 km/h
(84 knots | 97 mph)
Knock Airport (coastal), Co Mayo
at 6:07pm		 38.2 mm
Glengarriff (Ilnacullin), Co Cork		 -1.2°C at Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan to 14.0°C at Dooks, Co Kerry 972.2 hPa
Markree Castle, Co Sligo
around 6pm		 20.2 m
Buoy M3 (off Cork coast)
around 1pm Wed 3rd
Fionn
(Met Éireann)
Tue 16 Jan 2018 		Storm Force
94 km/h
(51 knots | 59 mph)
Mace Head, Co Galway
around 7pm		 137 km/h
(74 knots | 85 mph)
Mace Head (coastal), Co Galway
at 3:13pm		 37.8 mm
Maam Valley, Co Galway Wed 17th		 -1.1°C at Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan to 13.0°C at Muckross House (Killarney), Co Kerry 982.5 hPa
Malin Head (coastal), Co Donegal
around 8pm		 20.6 m
Buoy M3 (off Cork coast)
around 4am Wed 17th
-
 David
(Météo France)
Wed 17 Jan 2018 		Gale Force
83 km/h
(45 knots | 52 mph)
Mace Head (coastal), Co Galway
around 8pm		 109 km/h
(59 knots | 68 mph)
Mace Head (coastal), Co Galway and Shannon Airport, Co Clare
near 9pm		 37.8 mm
Maam Valley, Co Galway		 -1.4°C at Fethard, Co Tipperary to 13.0°C at Muckross House (Killarney), Co Kerry 983.2 hPa
Ballyhaise, Co Cavan
around 11pm		 20.6 m
Buoy M3 (off Cork coast)
around 4am
Georgina
(Met Éireann)
Tue 23 Jan 2018 		Gale Force
80 km/h
(43 knots | 49 mph)
Mace Head (coastal), Co Galway
around 2am Wed 24th		 109 km/h
(59 knots | 68 mph)
Newport, Co Mayo
at 11:27pm		 42.0 mm
Ballyforan (Bord Na Mona), Co Galway		 1.4°C at Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan to 14.1°C at Glasnevin, Co Dublin 980.5 hPa
Malin Head (coastal), Co Donegal
around 4am Wed 24th		 13.1 m
Buoy M3 (off Cork coast)
around 9pm Wed 24th
-
 EMMA
(IPMA)
Thu 1 Mar 2018 Icon image for PDF file 		Gale Force
83 km/h
(45 knots | 52 mph)
Malin Head (coastal), Co Donegal
around 10pm		 104 km/h
(56 knots | 64 mph)
Malin Head (coastal), Co Donegal
at 10:35pm		 42.5 mm
Killeagh Mogeely, Co Cork		 -9.7°C at Durrow, Co Laois to 4.8°C at Slieve Bloom Mountains (Nealstown), Co Laois 987.7 hPa
Sherkin Island (coastal), Co Cork and Roches Point (coastal), Co Cork		 9.8 m
Buoy M2 (in the Irish Sea)
around 6am Fri 2nd
Hector
(Met Éireann)
Thu 14 Jun 2018 		Storm Force
89 km/h
(48 knots | 55 mph)
Mace Head (coastal), Co Galway
around 3am		 113 km/h
(61 knots | 70 mph)
Mace Head (coastal), Co Galway
at 3:31am		 50.9 mm
Maam Valley, Co Galway Wed 13th		 5.4°C at Markree Castle, Co Sligo to 20.5°C at Ashford (Cronykeery), Co Wicklow 985.0 hPa
Malin Head (coastal), Co Donegal
around 5am		 10.1 m
Buoy M4 (off Donegal coast)
around 9am

List of Storm Names for 2017/18 Storm Season