Tornadoes in Ireland: an historical and empirical approach

The study of tornadoes in Ireland is very recent, although they have been r ecorded there over many centuries. An historical review of meteorological r esearch compares the research questions addressed by nineteenth and twentie th century atmospheric scientists in Ireland and the paradigms used as a fr amework for their research agendas. The consequences of these paradigms hav e been that tornadoes in Ireland were considered as atmospheric freaks that did not belong to the climatic profile of the country and that this view h as dominated right up to the modern period. The results of field investigat ions of a tornado outbreak in the west of Ireland during August 1999 are pr esented to show that a significant change in the awareness of tornadoes as part of the Irish climate may have taken place or may be under way. (C) 200 1 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.