NOW THAT’S A WET WEEKEND
EXTREME SAILING BRINGS SPLASH OF EXCITEMENT TO SOUTH WALES ON WASHOUT BANK HOLIDAY:
SOUTH Wales bore the brunt of heavy downpours that brought a washout to parts of the bank holiday weekend, the Met Office confirmed yesterday.
But the rain failed to overcome the party atmosphere of a threeday break dominated by showpiece events in Cardiff, including the Pride Cymru Big Weekend and Extreme Sailing.
The sailing – which finished yesterday after a four-day stint – brought a splash of colour to Cardiff Bay, as well as plenty of thrills and spills.
Two boats capsized within moments of each other on Sunday after being caught by strong winds.
One member of the Omani boat crew was taken to shore to receive treatment for an injury but, thankfully, no-one else was injured as a result of the capsized boats.
Skipper Phil Robertson said: “Well, we went for a little swim!
“It wasn’t the most ideal situation. We went round the top mark and you have to go straight into a gybe.
“With two sails up, you’re going pretty fast and we obviously made a few mistakes.
“We were hit by a gust that flipped us over pretty quickly.”
Elsewhere, day-trippers still headed for the seaside yesterday – albeit in nowhere near the same numbers witnessed during the heatwave.
Marco Zeraschi, of Marco’s Cafe in Barry Island, said: “It’s sod’s law when you get a bank holiday when the weather isn’t good, but Monday wasn’t too bad.
“The outdoor cinema was closed on Sunday due to the high winds and they couldn’t put the screen up for the safety of everyone. “The trouble is, we have been spoilt by the heatwave at the beginning of the season when it was extremely busy. We have seen a lot of people but it’s not the same.
“I’m more than happy with how we’ve done and it’s nice to see people enjoying themselves .
“With seaside resorts, it’s like a game of cricket where rain stops play and on Sunday we didn’t play.”
There were scenes of disruption on the roads, with flooding causing delays for some drivers on Sunday.
The Met Office confirmed 38.2mm of rain fell on Cardiff on Sunday.
A number of outdoor events were cancelled or brought to an early finish as a result of the heavy downpours.
At the Cardiff Summer Feastival, organisers took the decision to close for Sunday because of the rain.
The new event, which is run by the team at Depot, brings together some of the most popular food pop-ups in one place.
The event reopened yesterday. After a dry day on Saturday, revellers at Pride Cymru’s Big Weekend were not as lucky on the Sunday.
The day carried on despite the rain, but Pride Cymru were forced to make some changes to the line-up.
Gabrielle, who was due to perform on Sunday afternoon, cancelled her appearance in Cardiff because of the adverse weather.
It may have been a bit of a wet and soggy bank holiday, but temperatures are set to soar again in September.
Long-range forecasts suggest the El Nino phenomenon will raise autumn temperatures, with milder conditions until well into November, the Mirror reports.
The Met Office’s Greg Dewhurst said: “Largely fine weather is expected from Thursday.
“In the period to September 22, it is most likely much of the UK will see a good deal of dry, warm and settled weather.”
Forecaster Brian Gaze, of The Weather Outlook, agreed. “September looks like being a continuation of summer, with highs of 30°C.”
El Nino and La Nina are terms which describe the biggest fluctuation in the Earth’s climate system and can have consequences across the globe.
The fluctuation sees changes in the sea-surface temperature of the tropical Pacific Ocean which occur every few years.
Longer term, forecasters are predicting El Nino could lead to an Indian summer.
The US Climate Prediction Center said: “There is a 60% chance of El Nino from September to November.”
Across Wales, the Met Office expects very little rain and increasingly sunny weather as the week goes on.
Cardiff will wake to a grey day today, with highs of 19°C. The week will gradually get sunnier, with temperatures hitting 21°C by the end of the week.