Ten times more rain than same period last year

CORK had 10 times as much rain last month as in the same period last year.

A detailed monthly analysis released by Met Éireann yesterday shows that June was a complete washout and one of the wettest on record.

The figures also show that more rain fell on Cork last month than fell on the city for all of last November.

Met Éireann’s station at Cork Airport recorded a total rainfall of 155.8 millimetres last month making it one of the wettest parts of the country this year.

The station’s rainfall figure for June 2006 was just 14.6mm.

Kilkenny, however, fared worse with 155.5mm of rain last month — up from 27.2 mm for the same period last year.

Valentia recorded rainfall of 148.7mm last month — up from 46.8mm for the same period last year.

Last month’s mean temperature in Cork was 13.7 C down from 14.5C for the same period last year.

Dr John Sweeney, a climatologist at Maynooth’s Department of Geography, said: “We have seen more than double the average rainfall on the eastern seaboard.”

However, he said wet spells, or periods of sustained rainfall, are not unexpected.

“Weather depressions stream across all the time. It’s just unfortunate that this is happening in high summer.

“And the fact that we had an exceptionally dry spring makes the perception all the worse.”

The figures come as weather forecasters predicted more of the same for the weekend.

Weather forecasters said today will be largely dry, apart from the odd shower near some western and northern coasts.

A few showers are still possible tomorrow, but it will be a mostly dry day with sunny spells.

Highest temperatures will range 16C to 19C, with a light west to southwest breeze.

However, more rain is expected on Sunday with showery outbreaks, heavy in places, predicted.

Some bright or sunny spells can also be expected. Temperatures will creep towards 16C to 19C, with fresh and gusty south-west winds.

Monday will be another breezy day with showers or longer outbreaks of rain.