Hurricane Danielle didn't quite make it to our shores over the weekend, as some had forecast, but there was enough bad weather to extinguish whatever faint hopes we had of an Indian summer.
Met Eireann reported heavy rain yesterday and last night, with plenty more to come today. The bad news is that the showers and generally unsettled weather are set to continue for most of the week.
"While the high winds will ease off today and tomorrow, there seems to be more muck coming to us in the second half of the week," said Dr Aidan Nulty of Met Eireann. "Unfortunately, there is no sign yet of an upturn."
Dr Nulty said winds yesterday were not as bad as had been feared. In most parts of the State, they reached 45-50 mph. The highest winds were in Co Donegal, where gusts of 63 mph were recorded at Malin Head.
The remants of Hurricane Danielle moved across the Atlantic to within 250 miles of Ireland's west coast, but then slowed down.
The Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre reported a busy weekend with an above average number of call-outs to aid vessels experiencing problems on stormy seas. However, there were no major incidents.
Sporting fixtures were also affected. In Ballyliffin, Co Donegal, the final round of the Irish Women's Open golf tournament was abandoned because of the gale force winds.
The decision to scrap the round was made after play had been suspended because the balls were moving on exposed greens. The far west of England was last night buffeted by big waves and heavy seas as the tail-end of Hurricane Danielle approached Britain.
