Values plunge to record low of -16

TEMPERATURE:THE COLDEST place in Ireland yesterday was Tullow, Co Carlow, where an air temperature of -16.1 degrees was recorded.

Alan O’Reilly, who has a private weather station at his home in the townland of Crosslow near the Mount Wolseley Hotel and Golf Resort, was “astonished” by the reading taken at 4.07am.

It was the lowest temperature ever recorded in the southeast region – more than 2 degrees colder than the previous record of -14.1 in Kilkenny in 1979.

Mr O’Reilly said his rural home is in “a frost hollow” – a low-lying area surrounded by hills where 7in of snow fell on Wednesday.

A Met Éireann spokesman said that while Mr O’Reilly’s reading may be valid for his area it would not be regarded as “the official temperature”. He explained that Met Éireann uses a standard universal system of measurement for international comparison purposes and climatological records.

Mr O’Reilly said his reading was taken using a sophisticated weather station he bought from the Davis company.

The 28-year-old IT systems administrator’s station comprises an anemometer which measures wind speeds, rain gauge and “thermohydro sensor situated in optimal positions for the highest accuracy possible”.

He has also set up a website, carlowweather.com which is “updated every 30 seconds”. Interest in the website has soared and the daily number of hits has risen from “about 70 per day” to more than 2,000.

Mr O’Reilly said the coldest temperature recorded in Ireland was -19.1 at Markree Castle in Co Sligo on January 16th, 1881. The coldest day in the 20th century was January 2nd, 1979, when a reading of -18.8 was taken at Lullymore, Co Kildare.