Keep your wellies ready

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The recent rain soaked Littleborough Rushbearing Festival

July has been the wettest since 1998 and experts predict there’s worse to come.

Rain has fallen for 24 days out of 31 — a lot higher than the average of 13.

The Borough of Rochdale has been deluged by torrential rain along with thunder and lightning this past week.

Last July, Rochdalians basked in temperatures of up to 29C (84F) — a stark contrast to this July’s average of 15C (59F).

The heavy rain is causing havoc across the country with many seaside resorts losing trade as holidaymakers stay at home.

Met Office forecaster Chris Almond said: “For the past few years, we’ve been spoilt weather wise and have got used to above-average temperatures. Even this summer is set to have above average warmth. My advice is to keep your wellies to hand because, apart from a few nice days, there is no immediate sign of anything decent in the future.”

The miserable outlook is in stark contrast to an earlier long-range forecast when experts predicted a heat-wave throughout August.