And it's not good news. Not only has the whole of June gushed past in a flurry of floods and high winds, July is set to be another washout. And if the experts are to be believed, it's not going to get any better in August. Or September. Or October. Or any time, really, for the rest of 2007. The rain is here to stay. And it's probably making us fatter.

"It's definitely set to be one of the worst summers in recent record, " said Piers Corben, director of Weather Action, a UK company that makes longrange weather predictions. "Right now, we're about halfway through a fouryear-long disruptive La-Nina-like weather system. We can easily expect another two years of quite extreme fluctuations in the weather. Certainly this July is going to be lousy, August is not going to be worth waiting for and September won't be much better. If you want to see the sun this year, take a holiday abroad."

According to Corben's predicitions, 911 and 22-26 of July will be "significantly more intense, wet and thundery than standard computer models will expect, even from 12 hours ahead, " while 30 July to 1 August will also be substantially wetter than normal.

Another weather expert, New Zealander Ken Ring, has even more specific and more dismal predictions for the Irish summer. Ring operates the successful predictweather. com website from his home in Auckland and believes that by monitoring the position of the moon and the gravitational effects it has on the earth, he can predict the weather more accurately than using conventional methods.

"This coming week will be wet until the 14th when there'll be a clear and cool period until the 18th, " he said. "Then all counties except Co Down can expect good weather on the 21st, and then the 26th to the 31st will probably be the best weather of the summer."

Into August and Ring makes the blood-curdling suggestion that we can expect just three dry days for the entire month. "The 4th to the 6th will be good, and that's it then until September, " he said.

We're set to have a bit of respite in October when a "delayed autumn" will see some fine weather coming our way from the 9th to the 15th of the month but from 16-25 November we can look forward to more rain.

"By the time you come out of that period, it's going to be quite cold, " said Ring, his voice deeply apologetic. "And then from 19 December it's going to rain right through until January. It will be cold but not cold enough for snow."

The only ray of hope comes from Ireland's Hugh Daly in Met Eireann, who kindly refused to rule out the desperate suggestion that we might, just maybe, have an 'Indian summer'. "We can't make any scientific predictions for anything over five days, " he said. "But without actually forecasting it, when there is a prolonged period of bad weather it does tend to pick up eventually. So we might get some sunshine at the end of August or beginning of September."

The Sunday Tribune contacted the Irish Hotels Federation for a comment on whether the weather has affected tourism in Ireland . . . but their spokesperson was on holidays. According to Clem Walsh, marketing manager with Budget Travel, the rest of the country seems to be following suit.

"The rush in the last 10 days has been unprecedented, " he said. "Initially we thought it was down to the end of school, but definitely the bad weather has caused a big increase in the numbers of people trying to get to the sun."

Walsh said Budget Travel have had to take on extra flights and negotiate with resorts to get extra beds to cope with the demand. "It's a daily challenge at the moment just to accommodate all the requests, " he said. "I mean, it's great for business, but not good for people. A lot of families have just left it really late this year, maybe because they thought the weather would be better. It's not too bad for young couples or two people travelling together. But families with small children need certain facilities and the right location and at this stage they cannot be guaranteed their first choice."

Unfortunately for those Irish people who won't be getting away this summer there is more to worry about than replacing lost umbrellas. There's also the prospect of putting on up to 40 pounds.

According to Dr Judith J Wurtmann, author of The Serotonin Power Diet, it is entirely likely that the lack of sunshine will make the Irish fatter.

Speaking to the Sunday Tribune from California, Wurtmann sounded genuinely concerned for the country's rainstricken nation. "There is research to show that the absence of sunshine will lead people to take on the signs of a real depression, " she said. "People start to sleep too much, they feel lethargic, they don't want to exercise. Weeks and weeks of cloudy wet weather will have an impact on a population."

In an effort to perk up, people often turn to carbohydrates, said Wurtmann.

"The carbs make the brain produce more serotonin, which has the same effect of standing in the sun. That way, you can temporarily relieve the feelings of depression, " she said. "Unfortunately, most people don't eat a plain potato or oil-free pasta. Especially when it's wet and food becomes the only entertainment for people, they are likely to eat bigger meals, more laden with carbohydrates, that are covered in butter or fat."

Wurtmann said drinking more alcohol is another way some people cope with lack of sunshine. "It's like a selfmedication for people, " she said. "But of course, it means that people are actually walking out of the daylight and into a gloomy pub, so they're making things even worse for themselves. It's not the way to go."

Some ways to deal with sunshine deprivation is to buy a 'sun light' or force yourself to exercise and watch your diet, said Wurtmann. But the best cure of all? "Take a vacation, " she said.

"Come to California."