Skies wept as World Cup dampener saw May rainfall score record levels

Maybe it was a meteorological sign of the dampener that was about to be put on our World Cup hopes

Maybe it was a meteorological sign of the dampener that was about to be put on our World Cup hopes. On May 17th, as Roy Keane left for Saipan, more rain fell on Dublin Airport than on any other day in May since records began in 1941 - 49.6mm of the stuff, to be precise.

Preliminary figures released by Met Éireann show that the nation spent a good portion of that month under a cloud. May, normally a dry enough period, brought us above-average rainfall in most places as well as a few record-shattering falls.

In Valentia, Co Kerry, for example, it was the wettest May in more than 100 years. Rainfall up to and including May 30th was 211 per cent the average level and double the long-term average.

Clones, Co Monaghan, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, and Cork haven't seen this much rain in May for more than 20 years. The closest we got to average amounts of rainfall was in Malin Head, where levels were 145 per cent of the long-term average.

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Mr Paraic Carrigan, manager of the Climate Enquiries Office at Met Éireann, said May was normally a dry period. "It was not a typical or satisfactory May at all," he said.

"Normally you would expect a couple of decent settled spells during May, the kind of good weather often associated with study-time before exams. But we haven't had that this time," he said.

Not surprisingly, a spokesman for Co Wicklow umbrella firm Adlantic.ie said sales were up by around 40 per cent.

"It's been a good month for us," he said.

The national washout wasn't reflected in sunshine levels, which were only a little below average for this time of year. However, at nine weather stations it was found to be the coldest May for five years. An exception could be found in the sunny south-east. The weather station at Rosslare, Co Wexford, recorded sunshine at just above the normal level for May.

Unfortunately, the Met Office say they can't promise us a change for the rest of the summer, but forecaster John Eagleton said "things can only get better".

Looking to the short term, he said today would bring good weather with maximum temperatures of 19 degrees and, while there was a chance of showers on Sunday, there was likely to be widespread sunshine, too.

The bank holiday Monday was expected to be unsettled with a possibility of heavy showers.