A RAINY August showed no let-up yesterday with much of the east coast of the country beginning the day with the downpours that seem set to become the hallmark of summer.
Thousands of young scouts enjoying an international jamboree at Punchestown, Co Kildare, were washed out. An invitation-only visitor day at Jamboree 2008, which is celebrating the centenary of scouting in Ireland, was cancelled due to heavy rain.
The organisers plan to continue with other events for the 12,000 attendees throughout the week, including kiting, climbing, hill-walking and kayaking.
A rainfall radar map on Met Éireann's website showed blue waves of showers across the east coast up to lunchtime.
Met Éireann duty manager Hugh Daly said a recording station in Baldonnel, Dublin, registered some 19mm (0.75in) of rain in a six-hour period up to midday, bringing the total rainfall to 26mm in 18 hours.
Average rainfall at the same location for the month of August is about 68.5mm.
Phoenix Park recorded 15mm in the same six hours, with Dublin airport registering some 17mm.
"But once you go away from the Dublin area, in the west and north it's just traces [of rainfall]. Kilkenny's the closest with 8mm and Mullingar 5mm. The worst of it was certainly along that part of the east coast," Mr Daly said.
Further outbreaks of rain are forecast for many places today, giving way to showers and sunny intervals locally, Met Éireann said.
It will also be less humid, with northerly winds increasing moderate to fresh and highest temperatures of 15 to 19 degrees.
Tomorrow will be dry and bright but persistent and sometimes heavy rain is again on the cards for Saturday, followed by heavy showers on Sunday.
"Over a long spell, the figures will average out," Mr Daly said.
"I think, from looking at figures, it hasn't been as wet as last summer, but obviously it's all relative. It's been pretty poor. About a week and a half ago, we had a reasonable spell in the east where we had dry weather for a reasonable period of time, but the south was still getting lashed down on. So there are great variations, even within this small island."
Services on the Dart line between Dún Laoghaire and Bray were suspended for about an hour yesterday morning due to flooding.
A spokesman for Iarnród Éireann said a combination of tides and the weather disrupted the service in the Sandycove and Glenageary areas.
Organisers of the Dublin Horse Show - Ireland's largest equestrian event - insisted that visitors weren't going home damp and depressed from the RDS in Ballsbridge. A spokesman said the two rings were "packed" by lunchtime yesterday and that anyone not enjoying the outdoor events was indoors in the Main Hall, browsing some 300 trade stands.
