Dublin has gone nine whole days without any sunshine, data from Met Éireann has revealed.
The forecaster’s weather station at Dublin Airport has been bathed in grey clouds for well over a week, resulting in low temperatures and a general gloom in the capital.
On Newstalk Breakfast, Alan O’Reilly of Carlow Weather explained why the weather has been so unusually bad.
“We’ve had a high pressure out to the east of Ireland, which has been steering in cloud from the Irish Sea,” he said.
“That has brought a lot of cloud in eastern areas especially, but there have been some bright spells in the west of the country.
“With Belmullet seeing the best of the sunshine over the last seven to nine days.”
A rainy day in Dublin. Picture by: Alamy.com. While unusual, the current situation is not a record and Mr O’Reilly said it is the third time this has happened since meteorologists began collecting data.
Advice
Also on the programme, psychologist Leslie Shoemaker of TU Dublin said it is understandable to feel a little bit down during periods of bad weather.
“Believe it or not, sunshine is linked to melatonin production,” she said.
“Melatonin is something that is linked to our mood.
“So, even in the winter, all the professional advice is get out for a walk - even if it’s only for 20, 30 minutes.”
Winter swimmers. Picture by: PA.However, there are things people can do to boost their mood - even in the grimmest depths of winter.
“You can take vitamin D as a supplement but I would talk to your doctor about that,” Ms Shoemaker said.
“But the key thing is, stay active.
“We know that when we’re active, we actually do feel better; it’s better for our wellbeing.”
Alternatively, you could book a holiday somewhere sunny.
Main image: A wet and grey day in Dublin. Picture by: SamBoal/Photocall Ireland.
