There goes the summer - rain and cloudy skies on the way

All good things come to an end and so it with our recent spell of glorious summer weather.

This week normal service will resume as the sunshine and warm temperatures is replaced by changeable weather with rain falling everywhere.

Today was another beautiful day across the country with highs of 24 degrees being recorded at Shannon Airport and Mount Dillon in Co Roscommon.

The west of Ireland had the best of the sunshine this week and the highest temperature recorded of the recent hot spell was 25.4 degrees at Newport, Co Mayo yesterday.

The high pressure, which has brought the good weather, is being replaced by a typical Atlantic frontal system.

The weather changes will manifest themselves in Munster and Connacht first where rain and cloudy condition will prevail tomorrow though Ulster and Leinster will hold on to the dry weather with possible highs of 20 to 21 degrees.

The wet weather will spread to all parts of the country tomorrow night with rain everywhere on Tuesday and Wednesday. Temperatures will be between 15 and 18 degrees which are normal for the time of year.

Alas, there is no sign of the good weather returning, according to Met Éireann forecaster Pat Clarke who says the weather is changeable for the foreseeable future which is up to next weekend.

However, the rain will be welcomed by some farmers given that most places haven’t had any rain for two weeks at a time when growth is desperately needed.

Though the soil has warned up after one of the coldest springs on record, more rain is needed to help accelerate grass growth in particular.