Ireland’s infrastructure ‘unprepared’ for future Storm Éowyn-type events

In the first publication of its annual review series for 2025, the council called for the creation of a “national climate demand register” to monitor and record the economic, social and environmental impacts of extreme weather events.

“The time to act is now,” its chair Professor Peter Thorne said.

“Proactive action can and must improve our preparedness for and response to rapidly emerging climate risks, to protect and support people, and future proof our communities. This must be underpinned by robust climate data and services.” 

The report from the Climate Change Advisory Council said 2024 was the warmest calendar year on record globally, with many significant climate events occurring around the world, such as severe flooding, wildfires, and droughts.

It said the “fingerprints” of climate change are increasingly evident in how much more intense and frequent these events are.

At the same time, Ireland’s climate is also changing, with a range of storms causing significant flood damage, widespread power outages and coastal erosion last year.

However, Storm Éowyn in particular highlighted how our critical infrastructure lacks resilience to extreme weather events, according to the council.

“The impacts of Storm Éowyn were devastating and compounded the impacts experienced during Storm Darragh in December 2024 and the snow and ice hazard event in early January 2025,” the report said.

"Across Ireland, 768,000 premises were left without power. This compares with 395,000 premises left without power during Storm Darragh and 375,000 during Storm Ophelia in 2017. 

"ESB reported that it took 19 days to fully restore all connections compared with the seven and eight days taken during Storms Darragh and Ophelia, respectively.

“While the wind speeds associated with the storm were unprecedented in the observational record, there is substantial uncertainty about whether the intensity and frequency of storm events is projected to change.” 

To help mitigate against the effects of such storms in future, the council said a national climate damage register would help monitor the impacts of extreme events in a uniform and standardised manner and support more robust preparedness and planning.

Furthermore, it said the Government must ensure the funding and necessary supports were in place to sustain and improve the national climate observation system. 

Professor Thorne added: “If we do not put the structures and resources in place, we will increasingly expose people and communities to the destructive effects of extreme weather events, magnifying future costs and risks to society.”