It is barely a year since the devastating winds of Storm Éowyn, and only months since the inundations of Storm Claudia. Moreover, research by Wasitus, a joint project of Met Éireann and the Icarus climate research centre at Maynooth University, shows that it is not just the ferocity of individual storms that cause flooding. The previous saturation of the ground by ongoing heavy rainfall in our changed climate conditions makes exceptional flooding by such storms up to three times more likely. In terms of reducing flooding, we need to think much more innovatively. In the meantime, the available supports need to be directed efficiently to those most affected by this week’s events.

Source: The Irish Times January 31, 2026 01:12 UTC