The summer holds promise of “a great year” for farmers; but a “shortage of silage this winter” could be on the cards, weather guru Ken Ring has cautioned.

In a detailed, long-range summer weather forecast for Ireland, the well-known New Zealander has predicted that July will be the “driest month” – a period which he encourages farmers to exploit in order to meet fodder demands for the seasons ahead.

“July will be the driest month – with the Northern Irish counties getting the least rain,” said Ring.

The sunniest month of the year is gone already with May; but June will be a close second, as will September.

“The warmest month is likely to be August – closely followed by July,” said Ring.

Of the summer months, the weatherman expects that June will be the windiest; while July will experience the least amount of blustery conditions.

But all is not so rosy, according to Ring.

The summer will hold promise of a great year for farmers. But – by late autumn – wet conditions in the central west, and a lack of grazing, may mean a shortage of silage going into winter.

Meanwhile, looking ahead, he said that December is expected to be the month with the most precipitation – with central counties topping the rest.

“The whole country will receive early, dry weather. However, occasional heavy showers – with possible flooding in low-lying areas – can be expected late in the year,” he said.

‘Diary dates’

Yesterday, the New Zealander singled out specific dates over the coming months which, he predicts, will experience the finest weather conditions.

July 4-10 and 14-18 will be dry and summery; while July 26 to August 4 will bring the best of dry holiday weather. Then [there’ll be] a brief dry spell during August 21–25.

“After September 21, Dublin will slip into autumn temperatures of below 20°,” he said.