St. Swithin's Day: Will it rain for 40 days?

Legend has it, if it rains on St Swithin's Day, it will rain for 40 days. So will it rain for the next 40 days now?

St Swithin's Day is Monday 15th July, and the legend is that if it rains on that day, it rains for 40 days after. If it is dry, it will stay dry for the next 40 days.

So what do we have in the forecast on Monday across large parts of the UK and Ireland? That's right, rain. A lot of it too.

It all started with the bishop of Winchester Cathedral, St Swithin. He wanted an outdoor burial so he could feel “the sweet rain from heaven" on his grave.

However, more than a century later he was moved inside on 15th July 971 AD. On this day, torrential rain poured, as it did for the next 40 days. It was said that it was because his spirit was so outraged.

However fear not, this legend has never been true since records began in 1881! There are indeed signs of some drier weather on the horizon, which you can see on the WeatherRadar!