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GERALD FLEMING MADE his TV debut as a weatherman back in 1984. Large pointy sticks where the order of the day in his profession – which was, by modern standards, a comparatively low-tech pursuit.
“There’s been vast improvements in the science and technology underlying weather in my working lifetime, which is nearly four decades now,” said Fleming, who initially joined Met Éireann in 1980.
Looking at the weather service’s recent handling of Hurricane Ophelia, Fleming said there had been enormous leaps in technology and accuracy compared to, say, Hurricane Charley back in 1986.
“Everybody now looks at the weather radar if they want to plan a day out or if they’re cycling somewhere or if they’re having a picnic or playing a game of golf or farming or whatever.
“We didn’t have weather radar in 1986. We did not actually know where that rain was falling until we saw reports coming in from stations.
The weather models we were using were very coarse and could give us only a very vague estimation of the likelihood of heavy rain in the different parts of the country – now we have them much more refined, much more detailed much more localised.
So all of that science has improved hugely. If Hurricane Charley were to happen again we would hope to be able to give three or four days of notice – not just the amount of rain but those places where the rain was likely to fall and the impacts of it.
Fleming, who’s retiring from his role as Head of Forecasting at the end of the year, said he was looking forward to stepping away from the “9 to 5″, as he showed TheJournal.ie around the service’s Glasnevin HQ (see video above).
Known to TV viewers for his laid-back presenting style and trademark winking sign-off, the Wexford meteorologist stepped down from regular broadcasting almost a decade ago to concentrate on managing forecasting operations.
He said he that, as he was approaching 60 “thankfully in good health”, he had now decided to finish up with the weather service to concentrate on other interests.
Fleming won’t be stepping away from the world of meteorology entirely. He’ll keep his role at the UN’s weather forecasting agency the World Meteorological Organisation, where he’s part of an expert team “looking at how we deliver the weather to clients”.
It’s challenging, and it keeps me up to date with meteorology.
He’ll likely do other bits and pieces too, once he retires – but won’t be looking for another full time job (and he’s not interested in running for political office, for the record).
Looking back at this year in weather, Hurricane Ophelia was top of our list to ask about.
In the days after the October storm, everyone seemed to have an opinion on whether it had been as bad as expected.
“We do know certainly in terms of the damage that it certainly was more powerful than Darwin (in 2014),” Fleming said.
That’s primarily by looking at the amount of electricity customers whose power was disrupted – so it was something like 50% higher for Ophelia than it was for Darwin. That gives us a good idea of the spread and the strength of the wind, because that electricity network is one of the most vulnerable elements to strong winds.
It was also a bigger storm that affected more parts of the country – Darwin was quite contained and only affected a relatively small area but in that area it did a lot of damage.
You’d have to go back to Hurricane Debbie, all the way back in 1961 to find the most comparable weather event.
That storm travelled up along the west coast and gave us some very strong winds up in Galway and Mayo and up in Donegal but of course we didn’t have the records then that we have now, so it’s hard to compare like with like in that sense.
In years to come, we’re likely to experience more serious winter storms, Fleming said.
The likelihood is that we will get somewhat heavier rains in the winter time. As for wind strength and storm strength, the jury is still out on that – whether we are going to get more and more of that. But it’s certainly something that we are concerned about.
Met Éireann vs RTÉ
Fleming has overseen a number of changes to the forecasting system during his tenure in charge, including the introduction of the colour-coded (yellow, orange, red) warnings and the storm naming system – a joint project with the UK’s Met Office.
He stepped down from regular rostered broadcasting duties in 2009 – but, of course, remained a familiar face as he popped up on news bulletins during various floods, storms and freezes.
Ten years before that, as you may recall, he and his colleagues found themselves at the centre of a row that inflamed public opinion and resulted in RTÉ being inundated with calls from angry TV viewers.
The national broadcaster had tried to scrap meteorologists from their presenting staff and replace them with non-expert staff. It didn’t go well.
“Like any relationship there are ups and downs and that was certainly one of the downs,” said Fleming.
The decision, of course, wasn’t popular at all, and Met Éireann forecasters were soon reinstated as management reversed their decision.
The weatherman insists:
We’ve had an excellent working relationship with them ever since.
Even as the array of weather-forecasting services and apps available to the average person via their smartphone expands, Fleming says he can’t envisage in-person TV broadcasts being dropped from the main stations here anytime soon.
“So much in Ireland the weather is the first topic in most people’s conversation.
I still think people will want to see another person standing there explaining things to them, explaining the context.
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The navy are all out in the Mediterranean ferrying illegal immigrants into the heart of Europe. Sorry Irish people who need help.
The rules for equipment on ferries are very different to those on cargo, search and rescue or war ships, the navy may not be kitted out at present to run a regular ferry service.
Also, the navy’s ships may require too great a depth to get into Inis Mhor harbour.
@Keith Mitchell:
Pitiful. The failure of the free market to provide an essential ferry service is not the fault of desperate refugees drowning in the Med.
@Keith Mitchell: typical racist claptrap scapegoating immigrants rather than the greedy ferry operator that’s the cause of this problem. In any case, government should step in and treat this as a public transport issue, they spend millions on token efforts trying to save the Irish language yet are prepared to allow die the very communities where it’s in fact a living language.
@Keith Mitchell: the same person who thinks our constitution should continue to equate the life of a foetus as a pregnant mother and considers the life of a desperate refugee fleeing war and famine even less. Hypocrite.
Keith, because the navy don’t have passenger ferries!
@Vocal Outrage: I suspect Keith finds such facts inconvenient as they don’t accord with his prejudices.
@Dublinlad tell that to all the navy ships in the Mediterranean loading up with hundreds of illegal passengers.
Have a day off will ya you flute
Keith, the Aran islands needs a proper year round ferry service with a passenger ferry! Please focus on that and not the idea that the navy will do the job. The navy can step in for emergencies but they are not the long term solution. Please use your head and start thinking!
Yes Dublinlad and this is an emergency that’s why the residents of the island want the navy drafted in but they’re otherwise engaged. Please use your head and start thinking.
Keith, would it not be a better idea for the govt to pay the ferry to continue with the service in the meantime till they come up with a solution? Because it’s a passenger ferry and this is what it’s designed for? Use your head!!!
The private company said they made a loss in winter months making the service unsustainable. Until this dispute can be resolved why not use the navy to help Irish people who already pay the navy’s wages anyway. I’d rather see OUR navy helping OUR people then be out in the Med operating as a glorified human trafficking service.
Yeah, I hate to break it to you but there’s more than one ship in the navy.
It’s not the free market at fault, it’s the local council overcharging.
Keith, have you read the latest news on the ferry? They have come to an agreement to keep it running. Hopefully they can find a long term solution. Your idea was shortsighted.
@brian Mc gee.. What about deliveriey trucks and so on bringing supplies. Perhaps they could crowd fund drones to drop in the bread and milk. Only messing. Tho the goverment should treat it with the same regard as other islands and supply a goverment run ferry service.
Viking , do they really need delivery trucks? Supplies could fit on a smaller boat.
True, and they can distribute the supplies around the island on their donkeys and carts.
No need to be an ass, there’s plenty of transport available on the island. It’s only a small population during the winter
Do these ppl pay a higher propertionate tax because they livein an awkward area?
The islanders should crowd fund for a small fast boat that they can use. ( or giving a grant ) Much more economical than a large ferry in the winter.
Or put our navy to use helping Irish people (who pay their wages) for once.
Is that a legal charge, €5 for a citizen to travel within the state?
Keith,
Do the maths , between the use of a Navy Boat and it’s crew, it would be much more practical to provide them with their own boat.
Brian, a small fast boat? What about goods and services? I suppose a few loaves of bread can be put on that small boat?
@Greg Blake: It appears that it’s €5 per year for residents according to this: http://www.rte.ie/news/2016/0127/763330-aran-islands-ferry/
Since the ferry service is pretty necessary to get there and back for residents and bring tourists in, even in winter, Galway Council would be better off with am .80c room tax like many other cities around the world impose.
Dublinlad, I’m not talking about a canoe. Realistically they only need a small boat to ferry people across that can also city a pallet or two.
If larger items need to be bought across then a larger boat can be used for that.
Then come march it’ll be business as usual.
Greg yes it’s a legal charge. There’s a charge in the ticket for using train stations, bus stations , airports etc.
Although in New York they provide free ferries between Burroughs. Which us along the lines of what you are thinking
Brian, obviously you never crossed to the island in winter in a small fast boat.The Atlantic in winter is not like a mll pond.
Brian, it not an integral part of the fare structure, its a local government charge, not sure if it’s totally legal, it might be in breach of access rights, when they impose a toll, or a transit charge there always has to be an alternative route for non payers to take or they cannot impose it. The curragh, the helicopter and swimming cannot be considered an alternative route.
Martin Ferris might have to many flash backs should the Naval Service be tasked. The says of the Defence Forces being used to carry out tasking s like this when the normal operators won’t are long gone.
It’s the immagents, I knew it! Even when it was the ferries I knew it was them.
As a former Islander I can totally understand that life revolves around regular contact with the mainland.
Will we any canvassing on the island next time around
Inis Mòr or The Island of The Maori was discovered in 1842 off the New Zealand coast. It was traded to Ireland for 17 sheep and 3 comely girls. The islanders are genetically distinct from all other races on the planet. Several attempts have been made to breed with girls on this island by Galwegians, mostly unsuccessful due to the genetic disparity. The one or two instances of success resulted in a hybrid sterile chimera. The boat service is irrelevant to these islanders as they are adept at swimming and rarely intermingle. A massive 82% of modern New Zealanders can trace their ancestry to the comely lasses supplied by Ireland. A further 7% can trace theirs to the sheep. Traditional foods on the island include a fibrous soup made from Aran sweaters and seaweed.
@Hugh Mannatee: My Granny had lots of recipes and household hints from there, most involving sheep droppings and tram tickets. She also used to make walking sticks from whale willies when hey were plentiful along the coast
@Hugh Mannatee: What?
It’s a new feature: Hugh’s Believe It Or Not.
Mack. The whale willies were removed while they were still alive. They could not breed successfully thereafter and had a build up of ejaculate in the testes. This spilled into the blood stream. Hence the name Sperm Whales.
@Hugh Mannatee: There used to be a chipper across from the Rialto cinema that sold cod balls in batter which is why so many cod sang soprano in the olden days
I always preferred Bass.
@Hugh Mannatee: My favourite too but it had to be hand drawn and not the gassy stuff. Ansells was also a very nice pint, again hand drawn.
sorry not enough vote for FINE GEAL OR FIONA FAIL to be interested in fixing this ongoing problem, you can allways rely on the shinners to fight for all our citizens rights
‘ they ‘ should do something about it, ‘they ‘have done nothing for the ordinary people of Ireland and ‘ they’ must be held responsible.
Just bring in the Air Corps instead.
Heard the ferry companies spokesperson interviewed on morning Ireland, mother of god he was useless, clueless and an embarrassment. The interviewer wiped the floor with him and I suspect he’s probably seeking new employment. It is quite simple really, this shower want the taxpayer to pay them a kings Ransom during the lean winter months.
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