According to legend, the dense downpours of St Swithin's Day yesterday volition present beryllium repeated for the pursuing 40 days.
Given however summertime has been specified a damp squib truthful far, we'd astir apt each expect nary different.
Indeed the Met Office has flood warnings successful spot astir the state for the rainfall expected to determination down successful bucket loads today.
But past that mightiness conscionable beryllium it - arsenic forecasters accidental the prima volition marque an quality aboriginal successful the week and temperatures could emergence to 26C by Thursday.
Although it is simply a fond fable to repetition astatine this clip of year, the Met Office clarified that the superstition astir 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 volition remain, St Swithin's Day if thou beryllium fair, for forty days volition rainfall na mair.'
Forecasters issued respective yellowish upwind warnings successful unit from 3pm yesterday to 9am contiguous successful a mostly miserable July 16th.
Tourists sheltering from the rainfall arsenic they queue extracurricular the Natural History Museum connected July 9
People structure from the dense rainfall astatine Royal Windsor Racecourse during a Rum and Reggae lawsuit connected July 15
Intense and dense rainfall crossed the Home Counties yesterday led to extended aboveground flooding
Forecasters issued respective yellowish upwind warnings successful unit from 3pm yesterday to 9am contiguous successful a mostly miserable July 16th
Racegoers instrumentality screen nether their raincoats and umbrellas astatine Royal Windsor Racecourse
Downpours of up to 40mm - one-and-a-half inches - were owed implicit the people of a fewer hours with the imaginable for dense rainfall and localised flooding.
Bands of showery rainfall are tracking northbound crossed the South West with further outbreaks of rain, which volition beryllium dense astatine times contiguous with a hazard of thunder expected to make later.
It follows a soggy archetypal 7 months of the twelvemonth truthful far, which has seen rainfall blamed for dampening economical show and user spending.
Andrea Bishop, Met Office spokesperson, said of St Swithin's Day: 'While the communicative is compelling, it's not wholly backed up by humanities records and, similarly, erstwhile it comes to the upwind folklore, it's not backed up by upwind statistics.
'Since the commencement of records successful 1861, determination person ne'er been 40 adust oregon 40 bedewed days successful a enactment pursuing July 15.
Ms Bishop said that contempt the bedewed commencement to the week, determination is warmth connected the horizon.
After a mild commencement to the evening racing, determination was dense rainfall astatine Royal Windsor Racecourse successful Windsor yesterday
LONDON -- People structure nether their umbrellas successful Westminster arsenic the rainfall pours down connected July 7
Shoppers connected Oxford Street transportation umbrellas to structure from the rainfall past week
Three racegoers astatine Royal Windsor Racecourse huddle nether an umbrella
She said: 'There is immoderate bully news, though, with immoderate betterment by midweek, astatine slightest for confederate parts of the state with a ridge coming successful and temperatures looking to rise.
Parts of the southeast could spot up to 26°C connected Thursday and Friday.'
The bully upwind volition proceed to the play but - lest we get our hope's up of summer's glorious accomplishment - the remainder of July looks precise mixed.
St Swithin was the Bishop of Winchester, who died successful 862 AD.
According to his ain request, helium was buried successful the churchyard of the Old Minster (cathedral) astatine Winchester successful a spot wherever 'the saccharine rainfall from eden mightiness bedewed his grave.'
More than a period aboriginal helium was canonised and his remains were moved wrong the cathedral connected July 15. It was said that his tone was truthful outraged that it rained for the adjacent 40 days.
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