August weather was wet and cold - now there's a surprise!

There were two words to describe Westmeath in August 2009: wet and cold. In fact it was the wettest August since records began in 1950 and the lowest air temperature in Ireland (3.4°C) was taken at Mullingar on the sixth of the month. While day time temperatures remained cool August nights were by large milder and warmer than usual. There was unusually heavy rain in the second half of the month particularly on August 19, 20, 23 and 31 and there were 22 wet days in Westmeath. There was very little variation in the weather pattern throughout August: areas of low pressure passing close to Ireland's north coast brought a succession of Atlantic frontal systems, giving some significant falls of rain and localised flooding at times. These conditions also gave a mild and cloudy month, but with daytime temperatures only rarely rising above 20°C. It was the wettest August since 1992 at both Malin Head and Belmullet and the wettest since 1985 at Valentia Observatory. Mean air temperatures for the month were a little higher than normal generally, but it was a cooler than normal month in the south. While it was the warmest August at Dublin Airport since 2004, it was the coolest for between seven and 15 years at some stations in the west and south. Weather summary August 1 to 31: Atlantic depressions passed close to the north of Ireland throughout the month, while anticyclones centred to the south or southeast of the country occasionally extended a weak ridge of high pressure over the country. Rain or showers affected parts of the country each day, but amounts were fairly small during the first half of the month over the eastern half of the country. August 19/20 and 23 Daytime temperatures were near or below normal, but nights were very mild. Much of the month was overcast. Winds were between southerly and westerly throughout almost all of the month and were at their strongest during the final week. A deep depression close to Ireland on the August 26/27 The former hurricane Bill - brought gales along western coasts. Wind and elements: mean windspeeds for the month of between 7 and 14 knots generally (13 and 26km/h) were above normal everywhere and were the highest for August for around 20 years generally. The month's highest gust, 58 knots (107km/h), was measured at Malin Head on the 27th, its highest August gust since 1997. Most thunderstorms during the month were recorded in the period 20 to 24, while there were no reports of hail.