One of the few weather sayings firmly rooted in meteorological fact.

However, according to the Met Office, this old wives' tale is nothing other than a myth. It has been put to the test on 55 occasions*, when it has been wet on St Swithin's Day and 40 days of rain did not follow.

* source: the book entitled 'Red Sky At Night'

It's only logical isn't it? For the legend to be true, the weather all over the UK would have to stay exactly as it was for 40 days from today. Hardly likely.

The 5-day forecast from the Met Office for my area shows a mixture of sun, showers, wind, etc. However, if we do get 40 days of rain here, I'll certainly let you all know. :-)