Summer still refusing to stick around

Weather watchers will be dismayed to hear there's still no sign of summer

Weather watchers will be dismayed to hear there's still no sign of summer. All Met Éireann can say is that for the next few days it will be slightly warmer and drier, and the south and south-east are going to get the best of it.

At least meteorologist Michael McAuliffe tried to put a positive spin on things as he pronounced: "There's no sign of a settled spell, any sunshine will be in fits and starts. One thing though, it might be a little bit warmer than it has been. Temperatures might break into the twenties occasionally. Everywhere has a chance of sunshine."

The rain hasn't gone away and we can expect showers tonight and tomorrow morning. One of the more depressing statistics is that the record temperature for the "summer" so far is a piddling 23 degrees.

At times like these, when Met Éireann insists on sticking to its "we only forecast five days ahead rule", it's time to consult more obscure sources. Ants hiding themselves, cats sneezing and bees remaining in their hives all mean rain is in the offing, according to amateur weather watchers.