Storm Éowyn generated the highest storm surges ever recorded on Ireland’s western seaboard, a research team at the University of Galway has found, with thousands living in coastal areas “narrowly” avoiding devastating flooding.
One of the most powerful storms to strike Ireland in decades, Éowyn brought record-breaking winds of 184km/h in late January and, at its peak, left 768,000 premises without power and 200,000 without water.
However, despite its severe impact, a research team at the University of Galway’s School of Engineering found it was “incredibly lucky” that many areas avoided unprecedented storm surge flooding and inundation thanks to a low and ebbing tide.
Analysing sea level data, provided by the Irish National Tide Gauge Network and the Office of Public Works, the team noted storm surges measuring more than 2.5 metres above the normal tidal level in three areas.
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At Galway Port, the storm surge peaked at 2.6 metres, the highest ever recorded at the station since the network’s operation began in 2007.
“That’s nearly 20 years of data collected several times an hour and it’s way above anything we’ve had so far,” said lead researcher Dr Indiana Olbert.
The highest storm surge along the western coastline was recorded at Limerick Docks, reaching 2.99 meters above normal tidal level, while at Shannon Airport, a surge of 2.7 metres was recorded.
Storm Éowyn’s landfall on January 24th coincided with outgoing water, meaning there was little to no flooding impacts.
However, had the surges occurred a week earlier during the spring tide, data suggests the water level would have reached 4.96 metres above the normal tidal level at Galway Port, 5.43 metres at Shannon Airport and 5.85 metres at Limerick Docks, “inundating the areas”.
The timing “saved” the areas including Spanish Arch and Salthill in Galway from “devastating” floods, Dr Olbert said.
Had the surges peaked even several hours earlier during a higher tide, it would have resulted in significant flooding.
Dr Olbert said climate change related to human activity will result in more extreme weather events and “devastating” floods in the future, while a rise in the mean sea level puts coastal areas in particular at risk.
“The data we have recovered from the hours around Storm Éowyn shows just how narrowly tens of thousands of people avoided tidal inundation and threats to cities, towns and coastal communities,” she said.
The research, she said, reinforces the need for increased flood defence systems, alongside adequate warning systems.
Despite Storm Éowyn’s impact, “in an odd way, we were incredibly lucky,” said Dr Niall Madden of the university’s School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences.
“Had it hit just a few hours earlier, on a full or flooding tide, Galway could have been dealing with a double disaster of record-high winds and record-high flooding,” he said.
