August wettest ever in the south

It was the wettest August on record at Rosslare, Kilkenny, Shannon Airport and Cork, according to Met Eireann.

It was the wettest August on record at Rosslare, Kilkenny, Shannon Airport and Cork, according to Met Eireann.

"The first week of August saw some of the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in the southern part of the country, equalling or exceeding the exceptional falls associated with Hurricane Charlie 11 years ago," said Met Eireann.

The bad weather has caused major problems for the £100 million grain industry. The president of the Irish Farmers' Association, Mr John Donnelly, will meet the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, today to discuss the situation.

There has been speculation that the crisis could lead to an increase in the price of bread and beer.

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Mr Donnelly said the continuation of wet and windy broken weather, forecast for this week, means that farmers will have little or no opportunity to salvage crops, which remain in the ground weeks after they should have been harvested.

There was a huge variation between the south and the north, with the percentage of normal rainfall ranging from 72 at Clones to 358 at Rosslare. During the month 261mm fell in Rosslare.

Records were also broken for daily falls: Cork Airport had its highest ever daily total, 87.1mm on the 3rd.

Daily falls of over 150mm were recorded on the same day at some places in Co Wexford, and four-day totals of between 100mm and 250mm were measured over many parts of the country between the 3rd and the 6th.

While torrential rain fell on the 3rd in the south, in the extreme north it remained dry and fairly sunny. Sunshine totals for the month reflect the wide variation in rainfall; it was sunny in the north but very dull in the south.

Mr Donnelly said yesterday he would be proposing measures to alleviate the financial hardship facing tillage farmers, including Area Aid Payments to be made during September instead of late October.