Hurricane Force 12 Gusts Recorded at Two Locations During Storm Éowyn

8th February 2025

Lorna Siggins

A satellite image illustrates the scale of Storm Eowyn as it approaches Ireland

Met Éireann has confirmed that Storm Éowyn reached hurricane-force 12 at two weather stations last month.

While Mace Head’s gusts of 183 km per hour were confirmed the day after the storm on January 24th, the forecaster had adjusted this to 184 km per hour.

It says a ten minute average wind speed of 142 km per hour was recorded at the Connemara location.

It also says the storm reached hurricane-force 12 winds at Malin Head, Co Donegal.

The force of the storm caused damage at Malin Head Coast Guard station which knocked out VHF channel 16 for four west/north-west counties, but the Irish Coast Guard says full service has been restored.

Wind speed records date back to 1942 on Met Éireann’s website.

It says that winds of violent storm-force 11 were recorded at Mace Head and Malin, along with Knock airport, Co Mayo and Finner, Co Donegal.

Eight stations reached Beaufort scale storm force 10 —Roches Point and Sherkin island, Co Cork, Belmullet and Knock airport, Co Mayo, Mace Head, Co Galway, Finner and Malin Head, Co Donegal, and Shannon Airport in Co Clare.

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About The Author

Lorna Siggins

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Lorna Siggins is a print and radio reporter, and a former Irish Times western correspondent. She is the author of Search and Rescue: True stories of Irish Air-Sea Rescues and the Loss of R116 (2022); Everest Callling (1994) on the first Irish Everest expedition; Mayday! Mayday! (2004); and Once Upon a Time in the West: the Corrib gas controversy (2010). She is also co-producer with Sarah Blake of the Doc on One "Miracle in Galway Bay" which recently won a Celtic Media Award

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