Hurricane-Katia-in-SeptembEr-2011.-Credit-NOAA-1200x675 Ireland’s Brush with Ex-Hurricanes over the Past 100 Years — Hurricane Katia in September 2011. Credit **NOAA**

The arrival of the remnants of former Category 5 Hurricane Erin to the northeast Atlantic marks the end of the current settled spell of weather, ushering in a more unsettled, Atlantic-driven regime in the coming week.

Erin is just the latest in a series of “ex-hurricanes” to affect Ireland’s weather. Ex-hurricanes and post-tropical cyclones frequently pass close to or over the country, particularly in late summer and autumn when the hurricane season overlaps with the Atlantic storm season. However, once they transition into extratropical cyclones, they are not always classified as ex-hurricanes in official records.

Ireland is typically impacted by one or two such systems per decade in a significant way, though many more remnants pass by with little effect. Most occur between late August and October.

Ex-Hurricane-remnants-Ireland-1200x960 Ireland’s Brush with Ex-Hurricanes over the Past 100 Years

Here’s a historical outline of notable ex-hurricanes and tropical remnants that have affected Ireland (not a complete list, but the major, well-documented ones):

20th Century

September 1938 – The Great New England Hurricane remnants: After devastating the US East Coast, its remnants brought unsettled weather to Ireland.
September 1961 – Hurricane Debbie: The strongest ex-hurricane on record to strike Ireland. Transitioned to an extratropical cyclone but retained hurricane-force winds. Claimed 11 lives in Ireland and 60 in total along its path.
August 1986 – Hurricane Charley: Produced extreme rainfall. On August 25th, Dublin recorded its heaviest daily rainfall on record with 200 mm at Kippure.

21st Century

September 2006 – Hurricane Gordon: Downgraded but still brought winds over 70 knots to the south coast.
August 2009 – Hurricane Bill: Passed west of Ireland, generating high seas and strong winds.
September 2011 – Hurricane Katia remnants: Brought widespread power cuts and gusts of up to 130 km/h in Donegal.
August 2017 – Hurricane Gert remnants: Triggered flooding and landslides in Donegal.
October 2017 – Hurricane Ophelia: Among the most severe storms to ever hit Ireland. On October 16th, three people were killed, with widespread damage and record-breaking winds reported.
August 2018 – Hurricane Ernesto remnants: Delivered heavy rain and gusty winds.
October 2020 – Hurricane Lorenzo: Arrived as an ex-hurricane, producing strong winds and high seas, though weaker than initially feared.
September 2021 – Hurricane Larry remnants: Passed to the north but added to unsettled conditions.
August 2025 – Hurricane Erin remnants: Expected to anchor to the northwest of Ireland, bringing cooler and unsettled conditions.