Will summer arrive in Northern Ireland?

The poor weather has dealt a blow to businesses, particularly those reliant on summer tourism.

An outdoor pursuits company on the north coast estimates a loss of up to 70% in trade so far this summer.

“We spend all winter waiting on better weather to bring tourists, but the people are just not coming this year,” Mark Connolly from Atlantic Kayaks and Leisure told BBC News NI.

“We are fully stocked with shorts and t-shirts, but the only thing we are selling is our winter clothing range.

“We probably have three to four months of the year to make our money, and if we don’t get the trade, our year is wiped out.

“If we get a few good weeks of weather at some point this summer, we might be able to salvage things.”

Several summer festivals and outdoor events have also been affected by what has seemed like relentless rain.

Even country music star Shania Twain described the rain at her June concert in Belfast as “crazy weather”., external