FARMERS IN the midlands have been badly hit by the wet weather, which has disrupted the silage harvest and flattened some cereal crops.
According to Met Éireann, the unstable weather is due to continue for the rest of the week and over the weekend. It reported flash flooding, especially in the midlands, which has taken the brunt of the rainfall in recent days.
That, it would appear, looks set to continue, with no sign of settled weather in the coming days.
Rain will continue today over most of the country. While there will be some bright periods, there could be some heavy showers, especially tonight.
Met Éireann is predicting that tomorrow, Thursday and Friday will continue to be showery and again the midlands are likely to bear the brunt of the rainfall.
Music fans who plan a weekend in the open at the Oxegen festival had better bring their wellies to Punchestown because there will be no let-up in the pattern established over the week.
Expect rain on both Friday and Saturday, but there will be a short period, probably on Sunday morning, when it will be dry and even bright. However, rain will come again in the late evening, according to the Met Éireann spokesman.
It will not be cold though for the music fans, because temperatures are expected to rise to between 16 and 19 degrees at the weekend. The weatherman agreed that the pattern emerging this summer is a reflection of last year, when there was rainfall for 45 consecutive days. He said the indications were of no sign of any settled weather in the near future.
The long-range forecast takes us close to St Swithin’s Day, July 15th, when folklore has it that if it rains on that day, it will do so for another 40 days. According to the British Met Office, this is one myth that doesn’t hold water.
The legend was based on a bishop of Winchester who wanted to be buried but whose body was moved to a church shrine against his wishes. It rained until he was put back outside.