According to legend, the heavy downpours of St Swithin’s Day yesterday will now be repeated for the following 40 days.
Given how summer has been such a damp squib so far, we’d probably all expect no different.
Indeed the Met Office has flood warnings in place around the country for the rainfall expected to pour down in bucket loads today.
But then that might just be it – as forecasters say the sun will make an appearance later in the week and temperatures could rise to 26C by Thursday.
Although it is a fond legend to repeat at this time of year, the Met Office clarified that the superstition around July 15th – St Swithin’s Day – is ‘not backed up by statistics’.
The proverb says: ‘St Swithin’s Day if thou dost rain, for forty days it will remain, St Swithin’s Day if thou be fair, for forty days will rain na mair.’
Forecasters issued several yellow weather warnings in force from 3pm yesterday to 9am today in a generally miserable July 16th.
Downpours of up to 40mm – one-and-a-half inches – were due over the course of a few hours with the potential for heavy rain and localised flooding.
Bands of showery rain are tracking north across the South West with further outbreaks of rain, which will be heavy at times today with a risk of thunder expected to develop later.
It follows a soggy first seven months of the year so far, which has seen rain blamed for dampening economic performance and consumer spending.
Andrea Bishop, Met Office spokesperson, said of St Swithin’s Day: ‘While the story is compelling, it’s not entirely backed up by historical records and, similarly, when it comes to the weather folklore, it’s not backed up by weather statistics.
‘Since the start of records in 1861, there have never been 40 dry or 40 wet days in a row following July 15.
Ms Bishop said that despite the wet start to the week, there is warmth on the horizon.
She said: ‘There is some good news, though, with some improvement by midweek, at least for southern parts of the country with a ridge coming in and temperatures looking to rise.
Parts of the southeast could see up to 26°C on Thursday and Friday.’
The good weather will continue to the weekend but – lest we get our hope’s up of summer’s glorious arrival – the rest of July looks very mixed.
St Swithin was the Bishop of Winchester, who died in 862 AD.
According to his own request, he was buried in the churchyard of the Old Minster (cathedral) at Winchester in a spot where ‘the sweet rain from heaven might wet his grave.’
More than a century later he was canonised and his remains were moved inside the cathedral on July 15. It was said that his spirit was so outraged that it rained for the next 40 days.