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Mon 01 Jan 2007Constant gales nothing new under the sunForecasting has changed, but severe Irish winter weather has not, writes Brendan McWilliamsThis winter's storms have been remarkable more for their persistence than for their actual ferocity. Winter gales, after all, are a fact of life in Ireland and have always been. We lie close to the typical path along which active depressions make their way northeastwards at this time of year from the Atlantic over Scotland up towards Norway. Eight or nine days per month with gale force winds is more or less the norm along our western coasts.