Met Éireann's head of forecasting Evelyn Cusack retires after 42 years

One of the most recognisable faces on television, Evelyn Cusack retires today after working in Met Éireann for 42 years, 30 of which she spent presenting weather bulletins on RTÉ.

After studying Maths and Physics in UCD Evelyn got a job in Met Éireann in 1981.

In 1988, Evelyn began presenting the weather forecast on RTÉ and continued to do so for 30 years.

She was promoted to Head of Forecasting in 2017, remembering a very busy first year in the position.

She told RTÉ: "I had my annus horribilis of weather," - using a phrase made famous by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.

Ms Cusack said it began with Storm Ophelia and was followed months later by Storm Emma and the Beast from the East.

"So, then I was looking forward to a nice summer and we did get a nice summer," she said.

In fact, she said, it was so nice there was a drought.

"And then Bray started to go on fire, and we were in the NECG (National Emergency Coordination Group) again because there was a water shortage".

As if that wasn't enough, there was a status yellow warning the following September for the National Ploughing Championships. 

"I looked and thought oh, around 80-90km/h winds, a huge, tented village and 100,000 people."

She recommended that the event be cancelled, which was a major decision to take for such a largescale event.

"It was a huge deal then ... it seemed like an enormous thing to do. I mean, I closed it down," she told RTÉ.

She remembers it being very calm that morning at 6am, making her decision look premature.

"But then, thankfully, just professionally for me, the winds whipped up and everything was flattened."

She retires today just as Met Éireann launches a new element to its weather app giving ten-day forecasts for mountains and hills.