Autumn rainfall below average

It got off to a dream start with a blast of September sunshine drawing crowds to the beaches in the east, and indeed Autumn 2013 performed fairly well throughout.

A Met Éireann analysis of the elements found rainfall was below average everywhere with most weather stations reporting their driest autumn since 2007.

Nationwide, Belmullet, Co Mayo, took the honours recording its driest autumn in 20 years and its lowest autumn maximum daily rainfall since records began in 1956 on Sept 4.