After weeks of record temperatures and without any measurable rain, the first day of the West Show started off wet – but the sun is forecast to shine this afternoon and tomorrow.

At the time of writing, judging was underway in the exhibition tents and the animal enclosures at the L’eree aerodrome, with Guernsey Bubbles and the Nature Commission offering activities for anyone who ventured along early.

The Duty Observer for the Met Office said the show ground will dry out this afternoon when more people are expected to attend.

“This morning’s cold front which brought the heavy rain and drizzle, mist and fog has now passed through,” they said.

“The forecast for the rest of today and tomorrow will be sunny periods with showers likely. Winds will be moderate force 4 to fresh force 5 decreasing to light force 3 by tomorrow evening.”

Temperatures are forecast to peak at 21c today and 16c tomorrow.

Organised by volunteers, the West Show is the second of Guernsey’s traditional summer shows, held the week after the South Show and the week before the North Show and Battle of Flowers.

The exhibitions and animals will be open for public viewing from 13:00 with the number of activities ramping up throughout the afternoon, culminating in lawnmower racing, a tractor drive, and live music later on.

The West Show continues tomorrow with the horse and pony classes, a meat draw, the lawnmower racing finals, and the produce auction.

The wet start to the first day of the West Show was forecast, following an extended period with little or no rain, compared to previous years.

While January and February were both much wetter than average – with almost double the average rainfall in the last 30 years – from March onwards rainfall was well below normal.

July has been the driest month of the year so far with a total of 5.4mm of rainfall recorded – compared to a 30 year average of 43.2mm for the month.

July also saw a maximum recorded temperature of 30.2c, while 36.4c and 31.5c were recorded in May and June. August has so far exceeded 30c once, with 33.6c recorded on 14 August.