Weatherwatch: Will St Bartholomew’s Day bring ‘cold dew’ to parched UK?

St Bartholomew was a disciple. Pictured: Statue of the saint on West Smithfield in the City of London, UK. Photograph: Chris Dorney/Alamy

St Bartholomew’s Day was on 24 August, 40 days after St Swithin’s Day. An old saying has it that “St Bartlemy’s mantle wipes dry / All the tears that St Swithin can cry”, at the end of a wet spell.

Bartholomew was a disciple, notable for being skinned during his martyrdom. His day heralded the coming of cooler weather: “At St Bartholomew / There comes cold dew.”