Here comes the sun?

A menacing looking storm cell was seen over Maghera Enlarge Image

Floods and the threats of cyclones, it must be summer in Northern Ireland.

The weather is always a talking point, especially when it all arrives at once.

The last few weeks have certainly delivered a hodgepodge, but only the heat of last week was reminiscent of summer.

However, those who have not headed abroad to grab some summer sun should not despair, good weather is coming, at least to Donegal according to a local weather guru.

Michael Gallagher, 60, is a postman who cycles the byways of the county on his Glenties patch.

He does not rely on satellite imagery to determine whether to carry a brolly or not, but reads signs handed down through the generations.

Studying the movements of the cattle is a good guide, he says, with animals seeking shelter being a sign of poor weather on the way.

"The cattle heading for the byres, that's a very bad sign - the good sign is when you see them coming over the mountains and going out to graze on the mountains, the pastures, that's a good sign," he said.

Here comes the sun?

But there are other signs such as the heather blossoming in the mountains and the new moon all pointing to better weather on the way.

Glenties resident Mary McCloone sets great stock by his predictions.

"He's very good at it, he doesn't go too far wrong at any time," she said.

The weather this summer has been unseasonal to say the least.

There was flooding in Londonderry after torrential rain earlier this week.

Last week the skies were full of portent for local weather watchers.

Martin McKenna from Maghera contacted the BBC's news website after capturing a massive storm cell over the Sperrin Mountains.

A keen astronomer and sky watcher he said it was an incredible sight and "menacing looking".

"The biggest storm cell I ever saw drifted in over the Sperrin Mountains and positioned itself over the northern end of the town," he said.

"This cell turned the sky dark and developed a powerful rotating updraught called a mesocyclone.

"The base of this 'meso' could be seen rotating over the country for 1.5 hours. The area of rotation was at least as long as two football pitches."

Alan Kilgore sent in this image of the flooding in Londonderry