A double hit from hurricanes did little to increase below-average rainfall for the year, the Bermuda Weather Service said yesterday.

The BWS had recorded 37.48in since the start of the year – more than 7in below the average of 44.63in for the same period – by yesterday.

A BWS spokesman said Hurricanes Paulette and Teddy had brought wet weather to the island last month, but a high pressure system had continued to limit rainfall.

A total of 2.02in of rain was recorded during Hurricane Paulette, which passed directly over the island on September 14 and Hurricane Teddy – combined with a front that followed it – brought 1.19in of rainfall on September 21.

The spokesman said: “We began to recover into mid September, but recently have dipped down a bit once again as the Bermuda-Azores high has been fairly dominant lately.

“Of course the more dominant the high, the less likely for tropical systems to develop as well as random showers/thunderstorms that we are accustomed to seeing in the heat of the summer.”

The spokesman said that a slow-moving cold front may bring “decent rainfall” today but it was not expected to make a significant difference.

He added: “Going forward it seems as though as we will be under the influence of the high once again, though perhaps not as dominating as it has been in the recent weeks.”