On a Thursday night in February, floodwater rose through the underground car parks of Clongriffin and reached the roofs of parked cars, while Swords and Ballymun were also left to face the damage. The rain came hard and fast onto ground that could hold no more, and the forecast had not fully caught its weight. Now the question that follows every such night has arrived: whether a warning issued at 2.30 in the morning was early enough to help the people it was meant to protect. The answer is still being measured, and the clean-up continues in the cold.
Met Éireann Under Scrutiny After Flash Floods Inflict Hundreds of Thousands in Dublin Damage
Residents in Swords, Ballymun and Clongriffin faced property flooding, road damage and vehicle losses during the clean-up.
If people had known, they could have removed their cars
Mark
Why is the timing of one alert getting so much attention?
Mimi
Because of the cars. The alert came at 2.30am, and Councillor Barron says that with earlier notice people could have moved vehicles out of the underground car parks.
Luke
That's his view, though. The reporting doesn't show that anyone would have acted on an earlier warning, or how many cars were actually lost.
Mark
What about the damage figure?
Mimi
'Hundreds of thousands of euro' is the phrase used, and Barron applies it to vehicles specifically.
Luke
It's an estimate. No itemised total or insurance figure is given, so I'd treat it as a rough scale rather than a count.
Mark
Is Met Éireann simply being blamed for the weather?
Mimi
Not quite. Mark Bowe said more rain fell over the east than had been forecast, which is why the warning went out overnight. The council also points to saturated ground and a backed-up Uisce Éireann sewer pipe.
Luke
So there are several causes on the table. Whether the warning timing mattered most is exactly what the council's review is meant to answer, and that hasn't reported yet.
Mark
And the weekend ahead?
Mimi
Cold, down to -4C, with snow and rain warnings in several counties and spot flooding possible early next week.
El Pulso
- Floodwater climbed through apartment car parks in Clongriffin until it touched the roofs of parked vehicles.
- A rainfall alert arrived at 2.30am, after the rain had already outpaced the forecast and residents were awake to the damage.
- Councillor Darryl Barron says the warning was not good enough and that earlier notice would have let families move their cars.
- Dublin City Council is reviewing its warning timelines while coordinating with Uisce Éireann on a backed-up sewer and crews work the clean-up.
- With temperatures heading toward -4C and snow warnings across the west and north, the recovery is landing in worsening conditions.
On a Thursday night in February, floodwater rose through the underground car parks of Clongriffin and reached the roofs of parked cars, while Swords and Ballymun were also left to face the damage. The rain came hard and fast onto ground that could hold no more, and the forecast had not fully caught its weight. Now the question that follows every such night has arrived: whether a warning issued at 2.30 in the morning was early enough to help the people it was meant to protect. The answer is still being measured, and the clean-up continues in the cold.
In the underground car parks of several apartment complexes in Clongriffin, floodwater rose on Thursday night until it reached the roofs of some parked cars. By the next morning, residents there and in nearby Swords and Ballymun were facing a clean-up that could cost hundreds of thousands of euro.
The rain fell heavily and quickly, with 9.6mm recorded in a single hour. Met Éireann issued its weather alert at 2.30am, and that timing has become the centre of the dispute. Dublin City Council is now querying the warning timelines, and says the sudden downpour landed on ground already saturated, while a sewer pipe run by Uisce Éireann backed up beneath the excess water.
Met Éireann meteorologist Mark Bowe told RTÉ that more rain fell over the east than forecast, which is why the warning was issued overnight. For Donaghmede councillor Darryl Barron, that was too late. He argues that earlier notice would have let people move their cars before the water arrived, and he also points to a similar debate over Enniscorthy last month. He wants Dublin 13 prioritised as the clean-up continues through the weekend.
The weather is not easing. Temperatures are expected to drop to -4C, and snow and ice warnings are in force across much of the country. The council's review of how and when the warnings were issued is the next thing to watch.
In the underground car parks of several apartment complexes in Clongriffin, north Dublin, floodwater rose on Thursday night until it reached the roofs of some parked cars. By yesterday morning, residents there and in nearby Swords and Ballymun were facing a clean-up, with the damage described as running to hundreds of thousands of euro.
The rain was heavy and fast. Met Éireann recorded 9.6mm in a single hour, and it issued a weather alert at 2.30am yesterday. That timing is now at the center of the argument. Dublin City Council said it is querying the timelines of the weather warnings.
The council's own account of the cause is more physical. It said sudden heavy rain fell on ground that was already saturated. An Uisce Éireann sewer pipe also backed up under the excess water, which led to road damage and flooding of properties. A council spokesman said on-call staff and Dublin Fire Brigade responded to make the site safe, and that the council is coordinating with Uisce Éireann and other agencies. A full review of the event has begun alongside the ongoing response, and it includes the timeliness of warnings and forecasts.
Met Éireann meteorologist Mark Bowe spoke to RTÉ yesterday and described a complex and evolving situation. He said more rain fell over the eastern part of the country than earlier forecasts had indicated, and that this was why the decision was made to issue a rainfall warning overnight, given the impacts people would face in the morning.
For Darryl Barron, the Dublin city councillor for Donaghmede, that was too late. He told Extra.ie the sudden warning was not good enough, and that earlier notice would have prevented significant damage. His reasoning is practical: if residents had known, they could have moved their cars out of the car parks before the water came in. He put the damage to vehicles alone at possibly hundreds of thousands of euro.
Barron also drew a line back to last month, when similar questions were raised over whether Enniscorthy got enough warning during heavy flooding. He said Met Éireann performs well, but that matters like this need to be handled better. He also wants Dublin 13 prioritised in the council's clean-up, which is due to continue across the weekend.
The weather is not settling. Temperatures are forecast to fall to -4C over the coming days, which will complicate any clean-up still under way. The whole country was under a Status Yellow warning for ice and low temperatures overnight until 10am this morning. A rain and snow warning runs from noon until midnight today for Cavan, Donegal, Longford, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo, with heavy rain turning at times to sleet or snow, strong winds, poor visibility and difficult travel. Cork and Kerry are under a Status Yellow rainfall warning for the same 12 hours because of the risk of spot flooding. Met Éireann has also flagged possible snow this weekend and spot flooding early next week.
The council's review of how and when the warnings were issued is the next thing to watch.
Citas Notables
The sudden weather warning was not good enough, and earlier notice would have prevented significant damage.— Darryl Barron, Dublin city councillor for Donaghmede
More rainfall than previously indicated fell over the eastern part of the country, which is why the overnight warning was issued.— Mark Bowe, Met Éireann meteorologist, speaking to RTÉ
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