Records confirm summer was a washout - again

MET ÉIREANN has confirmed what we all suspected. The summer was a washout to go with the two previous summers.

Every single weather station in the country recorded rainfall levels above normal.

Valentia Observatory in Co Kerry had its wettest summer since records began in 1866. A phenomenal total of 614mm of rain (25 inches) fell during June, July and August, more than twice the seasonal average.

It made it the worst summer there since 1985.

Mullingar had its wettest summer since records began in 1950 with twice the seasonal amount of rain.

Cork airport and Johnstown Castle in Co Wexford also recorded near or above twice the seasonal average.

After from a promising start, the rain started to fall in late June and kept falling. An average Irish summer has between 32 and 38 wet days, the summer of 2009 had an average of between 43 and 52 wet days.

In the rain-soaked south of the country, there was between 56 and 62 wet days measured.

Aside from the rain, it was an average or above average summer which will come as a surprise to a public weary of the bad weather.

Met Éireann uses the Poulter Index which measures rainfall, temperature and sunshine to get an overall picture of the summer.

It was a better than average summer in Belmullet, Co Mayo, and Malin Head, Co Donegal, and an average summer in Dublin (Casement Aerodrome) and Birr, Co Offaly.

While rainfall levels were above average, so too were the temperature and sunshine levels, helped by a glorious June, which acted only as a prelude for a disappointing July and August.

Both Malin Head and Belmullet managed their sunniest summers since 1968.

“It started well, but went downhill from there,” said forecaster Deirdre Lowe.

“It was the wettest July for over 50 years in some places. July and August were both wet months. It was just weather systems coming in from the Atlantic.

“Pressure systems tried to build in the south, but it did not succeed. It is not just rainfall. People can observe the rain, but the sunshine can even things out, though people tend not to notice as much.”

The autumn has started where the summer left off with heavy rain promised for today along with blustery showers for the rest of the week.

Those going to the Electric Picnic festival can expect blustery and cool conditions on Friday.

Saturday will be dry and Sunday should be dry until the evening, though there is a chance of showers on Sunday night.