It's raining cats and dogs (and frogs): John Ketley explains some weather curiosities

Years ago the Trowbridge swimming pool attendant reported hundreds of tiny frogs falling with the rain on to the concrete around the pool.

More recently, on August 18, 2004, fish fell from the sky on to the village of Knighton, Powys.

A rainbow near Heathrow last week: The multi-coloured displays, which follow heavy rain, can be explained, but some weird weather is harder to fathom

The explanation is down to a typical spell of British summer weather, where a few hot days are often followed by a thunderstorm.

Vigorous updrafts on a hot day may have sucked the frogs, fish and other small creatures into a developing thunder cloud, only to deposit them again in heavy rain downwind.

Raining cats and dogs, however, is probably less scientific and with no definitive origin as far as I know.

The most plausible explanation refers to the filthy streets of 17th Century England, when heavy rain would sometimes carry dead animals, including cats and dogs, along flooded roads.

Heavy downpours again hit the UK last week. County Down in Northern Ireland and Fife in Scotland were struck by flooding on Wednesday morning. 

Raining cats and dogs: The saying may have something to do with dead animals being washed along the filthy streets of 17th Century England

By this time, Lough Fea had measured 3.7in (94mm) of rain in four days, following what had just been the second-wettest July for ten years after 2007.

Temperatures fell way short of holidaymakers’ hopes, with the best being 22.5C at Aultbea, in north-west Scotland, on Tuesday.

At the same time, Stornoway saw 40hrs of sunshine in four days. However, the weekend has brought yet more very wet weather across the country.

There are few signs of an early improvement either, but with the Bank Holiday weekend just around the corner I have my fingers crossed that we can see a return to the barbecue and picnic!