Showers to fall for two more weeks

KEEP those umbrellas nearby and don’t put your raincoats away just yet.

The worst rainfall in 50 years hit parts of Ireland last month and showers look set to continue until the middle of July.

Met Éireann yesterday said the outlook was unsettled over the coming 10 days.

And if British meteorologists are correct, then the dismal weather will last all summer.

Met Éireann’s report for June found varied temperatures and conditions across different parts of the country.

It was warmest in the west during the month while the east and south saw the worst rainfall. Kilkenny experienced its wettest June since records began in 1957, with more than 300% times the normal rain. In Dublin, Phoenix Park saw the most rain with more than 171mm, its wettest since records began.

The majority of weather stations recorded between 13 and 19 wet days compared with the usual 11 to 14 for June.

Meanwhile, Belmullet, Co Mayo, had the least rainfall while the highest daily sunshine was recorded in Malin Head, Co Donegal.

Overall, the second half of the month saw more wind, rain and thunder.

In Tipperary on June 24, a tornado was observed near Galtymore. No damage occurred.

However, despite a record rainy month for some parts, it seems that even more wet weather is on the way.

Forecasters say Ireland will be lucky to see a good long spell of sunshine and hot temperatures before the latter half of this month.

“All we can say is that it will remain disturbed and unsettled for the foreseeable future over the next five to 10 days,” explained senior meteorologist Martin Baker.

Met Éireann says even this week there will initially be many showers, but then more “organised rain” will fall over Ireland by Thursday.

Temperatures are expected to stay cool until then, between 14C and 17C. It will become muggy after that as temperatures rise a little with the rain.

“We don’t see any hint of it settling down to good weather,” said the Met Éireann official advising people not to “go very far without their brollies and jackets”.

Meteorologists agree the jet stream or atmosphere over the Earth that influences conditions is low over Ireland at present and is high further south in Europe in places like Spain. It looks like remaining that way for another fortnight, at least.

Forecasters also say Ireland usually only gets a good summer three times every decade. Some weather experts fear Ireland has already had its fair share of warm and sunny summers since the decade began.

In Britain, meteorologists have taken a further step, predicting the dismal, and at times devastating, conditions are set to last all summer.

The Met Office says cooler sea temperatures in the Pacific Ocean influenced by the La Nina weather system are suspected as the likely cause of summer depressions shadowing northern Europe, according to reports.

Records dating more than 100 years reveal stretches of La Nina often occurred while summer depressions swept over northernmost Europe.