Rannóga Met Éireann
General Forecasting


This Division is responsible for the provision of a wide range of forecast services and warnings to the media, industrial and commercial customers, Government and semi-State bodies, local authorities, the general public, etc. It operates mainly through the Central Analysis and Forecast Office, (CAFO) located in Glasnevin, HQ. With a dependant forecast office at RTE, the national radio and television station. It is staffed round the clock by a team of 30 staff. Some hundreds of different types of forecasts are routinely issued by the Division each day. To accomplish its tasks, meteorological reports from an area stretching from Russia to the USA are routinely analysed. Output from a number of computer models of the atmosphere is also analysed by the forecasters. For forecasts out to 48 hours ahead, our own HIRLAM is the primary guidance model. Beyond 2 days the ECMWF is the normally preferred model. To help in the very short range and nowcast range, displays of a number of modern weather radars and of METEOSAT and NOAA satellites are important tools for the forecaster.

Gerald Fleming, Head of Division.