Britain will be battered by rain and floods at the start of this week in what could be a bad omen that the country can expect yet more drizzly weather this summer.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning between 3pm on Monday and 9am on Tuesday, meaning much of the country will experience heavy rain and localised flooding, and downpours of up to 40mm over the course of a few hours.
Bands of showery rain are tracking north across the South West with further outbreaks of rain, which will be heavy at times with a risk of thunder expected to develop later, moving northwards through the evening and overnight.
It follows a soggy first seven months of the year so far, which has seen rain blamed for dampening economic performance and consumer spending.
The news comes as a bad omen for the weather this summer according to the centuries-old legend of St Swithin’s Day.
According to traditional folklore, the weather experienced on St Swithin’s Day (July 15) will continue for the next 40 days – meaning parts of the country could be in for a soggy summer if superstition holds true.
But Andrea Bishop, Met Office spokesperson, said that the legend of St Swithin is “not backed up by statistics”.
She said: “While the story is compelling, it’s not entirely backed up by historical records and, similarly, when it comes to the weather folklore, it’s not backed up by weather statistics.”
The proverb of St Swithin says: “St Swithin’s Day if thou dost rain, for forty days it will remain, St Swithin’s Day if thou be fair, for forty days will rain na mair.”
Ms Bishop said: “Since the start of records in 1861, there have never been 40 dry or 40 wet days in a row following July 15.
“Today, we have a day of rain across most parts of the country, with three yellow rain warnings issued over the next 24 hours and the forecast for the week ahead remains unsettled.”
Ms Bishop said that despite the drizzly start on Monday, there is warmth on the horizon with temperatures due to rise by midway through the week, with parts of the South East reaching 26C on Thursday and Friday.
She said: “There is some good news, though, with some improvement by midweek, at least for southern parts of the country with a ridge coming in and temperatures looking to rise. Parts of the southeast could see up to 26°C on Thursday and Friday.”
One expert said the dreary weather could affect people’s mood.
Professor Trevor Harley, emeritus professor of Psychology at the University of Dundee and author of the book Psychology Of Weather told the PA news agency: “For most people rainy days lower mood. This effect isn’t so much because of the rain itself as the lack of sunshine.
“Sunshine is good for our mental health, and helps produce serotonin, the brain’s ‘good mood chemical’.
“Serotonin also helps control appetite so we might find we eat too much on rainy days! We also need sunshine to regulate our sleep-wake cycle, so too much rain is going to get in the way of that.
“It isn’t all bad news though. Rain helps clear the air of pollen and pollutants, and rain hitting the earth can release a chemical called geosmin, which can help raise mood. The smell caused when rain hits soil goes by the wonderful name of petrichor.
“And believe it or not, some people really dislike sunshine and like rain, so they must have been very happy recently.”
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