Washout: Coldest summer on record to continue

IRELAND’S soggy summer is the coldest since records began 25 years ago — and forecasters last night wrote off the rest of summer, warning of regular washouts and no hot weather.

Met Éireann statistics reveal temperatures have been below average at 10 of their 12 main weather stations.

The average summer temperature at the central Ireland station of Mullingar, Co Westmeath, was just 11.6C in June.

It is the lowest June average temperature recorded at the station since Met Éireann began publishing records in 1986.

Rain has kept temperatures down in the first 10 days of July — and forecasters warned there is buckets more of it on the way.

Weathermen said Ireland had been spoilt by summer heatwaves over the last decade and warned of more spells of torrential rain in the coming weeks, with brief warmer spells nudging a maximum of just 24C for the rest of summer.

That means the hottest temperature this summer has already passed — with the mercury reaching 25.5C on June 3 at Oak Park, Co Carlow.

To put this disappointing summer into context, last summer, the mercury reached a sizzling 27.1C on May 22 at Elphin, Co Roscommon, and May 23 at Ardee, Bohernamoe, Co Louth, and in 2009 reached 28.6C on June 2 at NUI Galway.

In 2006, temperatures hit 32.3C, on July 19, again at Elphin, Co Roscommon.

Rain made for another wet weekend over the past few days — and showers are due every day until Friday, when the sun should shine.

Forecaster Brian Gaze of The Weather Outlook said: “We’re halfway through summer and the first half hasn’t been great for Ireland.

“The country was spoilt during summers in the 1990s and 2000s, which had an unusual number of heatwaves.

“This summer in Ireland has been a textbook summer, with a few reasonably dry days followed by a few days’ showers and rain.

“I expect the mixed summer to continue with a real mixed bag of washout days with torrential rain and dry days with pleasantly-warm sunshine.”

Meanwhile, Positive Weather Solutions senior forecaster Jonathan Powell said: “We forecast a ‘brolly and sunblock’ summer and the brolly has certainly been needed lately in Ireland.

“There is unsettled weather ahead before August brings drier weather than June and July, although little in the way of temperature fireworks.”