Thanks for Retuning!

Waves batter the Cobb at Lyme Regis.Photo: RICHARD AUSTIN

Thousands of holidaymakers were forced to swap sandals and shorts for wellies and raincoats after wintry weather hit much of the country.

Unseasonably strong winds battered beaches while some areas experience more than an inch of rain, potentially spelling doom for the rest of the summer.

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Legend suggests if it rains on St Swithin’s Day it will lead to downpours for the next 40 days, potentially ruining the rest of July and August.

According to the ninth century tale, after the remains of St Swithin, a Saxon bishop, were removed his preferred burial place outside Winchester Cathedral, it led to 40 days of continuous rain and storms.

Since then the story has become one of Britain’s most enduring folklores and causes many to keep a watchful eye on the weather every year on July 15.

Forecasters said that between 25mm to 33mm of rain fell on Thursday.

Areas around St Andrews, where the British Open is currently being played, had more 29 mm of rain while Kinross, Scotland had 33 mm.

More than 13 mm fell throughout the South-west, including Devon and Cornwall and south Wales.

Barry Gromett, a Met Office, warned that more rain was expected in those areas as the bad weather intensified.

He also said that while he could not give an accurate forecast over the coming weeks, it did not appear that it would repeat last summer’s wintry weather after it also rained on July 15.

“It will remain unsettled over the next five days, but then the weather looks like it will become more settled again in the South,” he said.

While it is good news for gardeners, those hoping to catch some rays over the weekend are likely to be disappointed with wet spells also forecast for Saturday and Sunday.

“Saturday looks like it will be the best day of the weekend.

“It should be good weather on Monday morning but then it looks like rain on Monday afternoon and Tuesday.”

The wild weather also hit parts of Asia on Thursday.

Heavy rains and powerful winds battered East Asia, forcing authorities to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people from their homes in Japan.

China was left facing the worst floods in more than a decade as rains drenched the Yangtze river region and a typhoon neared the southern coast.

In the Philippines, power was gradually restored to millions of homes in and around Manila after Typhoon Conson hit the capital harder than expected on Tuesday night.

Officials raised the death toll in the Philippines to 37, with 42 missing.

Tropical Storm Risk downgraded the typhoon to a tropical storm on Thursday, but the Philippines’ weather bureau said it was expected to regain strength as it moved over the South China Sea and headed towards southern China and northern Vietnam.

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