Heavy weather: Early autumn marked by downpours

It is safe to pack away your suncream as the final days of summer are set to be cool and cloudy with heavy showers, according to Met Éireann.

Although it is an August day that holds the record for highest ever temperature recorded at 31.5 degrees in 1975, the last days of this month are set to reach a highest temperature of only 18 degrees.

June 30th looks likely to keep the hottest day of this year so far at 25.6 degrees.

However, setting the record for highest rainfall is there for the taking after a weekend of weather warnings and heavy rain.

Met Éireann meteorologist Evelyn Cusack said Knock Airport had the highest rainfall in the country this weekend, recording 60mm after severe thunder storms hit the west of the country.

Parts of Co Dublin, Co Donegal and Co Cavan also recorded high rainfall of almost 35mm on Sunday.

A yellow weather alert is issued when rainfall is predicted to reach more than 30mm in 24 hours.

Ms Cusack said this week would be “mixed and settled”.

“It has been a cool summer. Temperatures are below average,” she said.

However, there is hope for better next week as Ms Cusack said there were “signs of the weather settling down a little bit”.

Looking ahead at the rest of the week, she said it would be a mix of rain and sunny spells with temperatures between 15 and 18 degrees.

“It’s still the Atlantic westerlies dominating, meaning more showers. The temperatures are still below average,” she said.

Tuesday will start cloudy over Munster with outbreaks of rain turning heavy while the rest of the country will have sunny spells.

Later in the day, the rain and cloud will spread northeastwards while Munster will clear as temperatures reach their highest at 17 degrees.

"There will be a band of rain moving across Ireland on Tuesday, so it will not be raining all day," said Ms Cusack.

Downpours

More heavy rain is forecast for Wednesday with some sunny spells between the downpours.

Met Éireann forecasters predict Thursday will be cool with “nice sunshine” as there will be fewer and lighter showers.

But the week will end with a bang as Friday will be mostly cloudy with widespread showers that could turn heavy and thundery across Atlantic counties later in the day.

Met Éireann’s report for last month described the weather as “cold, wet and windy everywhere”.

Some weather stations recorded historically miserable conditions for July and all monthly rainfall stations recorded above average volumes for the month.

Monthly air temperatures were one degree lower than the long-term average in most areas.

Ireland’s neighbours are not faring much better.

Parts of Britain have had more than a fortnight’s rainfall in 24 hours this weekend.

Met Office forecasters in the UK said heavy thundery rain would sweep across the country and have issued another weather warning on Monday.

The Environment Agency has put 10 flood alerts in place on Monday; five in England and five in Wales.