A big freeze arrived for Christmas 1995 followed by a big thaw in January 1996.
FOR those dreaming of a white Christmas it doesn’t look likely it will be on the cards this year with Met Éireann predicting wet but mild conditions.
This week we took a look back through the archives to see when the hills of Donegal were covered in white for Christmas.
One of the heaviest snowfalls was back in December 1961 and into January 1962 when the county was gripped by a deep-freeze. It was the longest spell of wintry weather the north had seen since 1947.
In the Donegal News edition of January 6, 1962 a report detailed: “Together with the rest of Ireland, the north shivered in the lowest temperatures recorded for 80 years and travel conditions were most perilous even on main roads, and all vehicular traffic had to proceed with caution.”
That year the severe cold spell began a few days before Christmas and lasted up until the end of 1961.
Counties Down and Armagh got the heaviest snowfalls, but the coldest temperatures were recorded in Fermanagh and at Aldergrove.
1964 brought a white Christmas to Donegal again when snow started to fall on Christmas Eve.
A report in the Donegal News on January 2, 1965 said: “In Letterkenny the snow only came after darkness on Christmas Eve, and the crowds in the town were at their largest. The final rush was as big as has been seen for some years, but it followed a comparatively quiet few weeks of pre-Christmas buying.
“Food purchases were heavy. The long closing time, allowed to the many attractions of the festive period, provided grocers with a bumper spell. As the Post Office staff moved out, tired and worn after the big rush that had seen them handle colossal mails for the week previously, there were still Christmas cards due for delivery.
“Many did not receive their greetings until the services were resumed.
“Parcels and letters flooded in for West Donegal in huge quantities from across the Channel.”
Christmas 1984 saw snow fall in parts of the county. “Christmas Day brought the first white Christmas to Cloughaneely for many years with the area taking on a Christmas card appearance. The snow only lay a couple of days. Some roads in the area were treacherous but there were no reports of ‘any serious accidents’,” a report from this newspaper recalled.
It was more serious in 1995 when a big freeze over the Christmas period brought with it problems in January when a big thaw arrived.
Water rationing was in place as householders and the local County Council came to grips with the damage caused by rapid thaw.
Public water supplies were interrupted in many parts of the county as the Council carried out emergency repairs to water supply systems described by one official as being in a ‘critical state’
Thousands of homes and business premises were flooded following burst pipes and insurance claims were expected to run into the millions.
“While the cold spell had been predicted few were prepared for the snow which fell on Christmas Eve followed by the big breeze which resulted in hundreds of burst pipes throughout Donegal,” according to a report from December 30, 1995.
Many of us will remember the winter of 2009-2010 which was the coldest winter since 1962-1963.
That year Letterkenny General Hospital’s accident and emergency department saw a huge increase in the number of people presenting with suspected broken limbs because of falls on snow and ice.
Mountain rescue were working ‘round the clock’ to bring emergency supplies to those stranded by the ice and snow.
By January 3, 2010 more than 100 members of Donegal County Council’s water services were working day and night to maintain supplies to homes in Donegal in the face of extreme conditions. The local authority sad it was the worst situation the council had faced since 1995.
Again in winter 2010 Ireland braced itself for more arctic conditions as temperatures that December dropped to – 11 in parts of Donegal.
Nationally 2010 saw the maximum depth of snow ever recorded on December 25, with 27cm at Casement Aerodrome in Dublin.
Speaking to the Donegal News this week Met Éireann forecaster Aoife Kealy said while there is still some uncertainty the models are showing mild conditions for Christmas.
Today a yellow wind warning will be in place until 8pm this evening.
“From Thursday onwards the weather will turn fairly unsettled. Thursday will be a very windy day with very strong gusts of north westerly winds with possible gales especially along the coast in Donegal,” said Ms Kealy.
“For people out and about, heading home or doing that last minute shopping it will be quite windy with rain and drizzle.
“On Friday and Saturday winds will ease off but the rain will continue. It will be persistent. Temperatures will be relatively mild up to 10 and 11 degrees.
“On Christmas Eve it will turn cooler as the rain clears. It will be a standard December day with decent sunshine. It doesn’t look like there will be anything wintry. I know people want to know that at this time of year but there will be no white Christmas.
“There is a small chance of sleet on the hills in Donegal but it will be very localised and it is very unlikely you will see it on lower levels.
“On Christmas day it will start off cool and get milder throughout the day with rain spreading across the country.”
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