Met Éireann says July the wettest on record

IT WAS the wettest July on record in several weather stations across the country, according to Met Éireann.

Valentia, Co Kerry, traditionally the wettest place in the country, recorded 245.2mm of rain (nearly 10in), beating its previous record of 233mm.

It was the wettest July since records began in places as diverse as Cork airport which got 187.8mm of rain, Dublin airport (164.2mm) and Mullingar (192.8 mm).

Met Éireann’s weather station at Johnstown in Co Wexford recorded 211.9mm of rain, more than 50mm (2in) higher than the previous record.

In the Phoenix Park, it was the wettest July since 1936 with 122mm of rain.

Only Malin Head did not record rainfall at least twice the average. Its rainfall was average and it also recorded 190 hours of sunshine.

Met Éireann’s grim summary of the month stated that the same weather conditions which made the last two summers a wash-out have been repeated with Atlantic depressions tracking over or close to Ireland, “producing substantial falls of rain at a time, with frequent thunderstorms”.

Temperatures and sunshine levels, which were academic given the level of rain, were at or above average for the month.

Both Belmullet and Malin Head recorded temperatures a degree above normal while sunshine levels at both stations were 140 per cent of normal.