A vigorous storm or two is the norm, not the exception, at this time of year. The atmosphere in the northern hemisphere is at its most energetic around now, because the temperature contrast between the equator and the poles is greatest.
The interaction between the very cold air to the north and the warmer air farther south provides the stimulus for the development of deep depressions which sweep across the Atlantic and now and then wreak havoc on our Irish shores.
Deep lows in the north Atlantic really only become noteworthy as far as we in these islands are concerned if they pass close enough - as some have done recently - for their strong winds to interfere with us. Their typical path varies with the seasons.
During the summer months, for example, the lows tend to follow a track that takes them well to the north of Ireland, which partly accounts for the fact that storms are less frequent in the summertime; but the preferred path of wintertime depressions lies very close to Ireland, so February storms are relatively common.
February 1990, for example, was a very stormy month. It established its character on the very first day when a deep depression passed close to the coast of Donegal, and this was followed by a second, a third, and yet more in a steady procession of a dozen or so, each bringing with it the familiar sequence of rain and gales. Four years later the storm of February 3rd, 1994, caused widespread damage.
But neither of these February storms was on a par with that which occurred nearly a century ago on the night of February 26th-27th, 1903, perhaps the most severe in Irish history; 4,000 trees were uprooted on an estate near Kilkenny, 2,000 in Birr, and a similar number of elms were laid low in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.
As it happens, today's date, the 9th, has been a particularly common one for February storms. A very intense storm four years ago on February 9th, 1996, caused widespread damage. Eight years previously, on February 9th, 1988, an even more violent storm passed to the north-west of Ireland, close to Donegal, and caused widespread damage and several deaths.
Another reminder of severe weather on this date can be found on the East Pier at Dun Laoghaire, where a memorial tells us of a tragedy that occurred 139 years ago. On February 9th, 1861, six men from the Ajax died in a gallant effort to save the crew of the Neptune, another ship that ultimately sank with the loss of all on board.