Heatwave expected this week as temperatures could hit 30C

Ireland is set to experience a significant warm spell this week, with temperatures potentially climbing to 30 degrees Celsius in some areas. Met Éireann, the country's meteorological service, is closely monitoring the situation and anticipates declaring a heatwave, possibly accompanied by weather warnings.

“

At the moment we're not in it, but yes, we would expect to see it.

The forecast indicates a predominantly dry and settled week with ample sunshine across the nation, extending into the following weekend. While Tuesday may start with some cloud cover and light rain in the north and west, other regions will enjoy warm spells and sunshine, with highs generally ranging from 22-28 degrees. Wednesday is expected to follow a similar pattern, with increasing sunshine and temperatures reaching 27-28 degrees.

Thursday might be slightly cooler, with initial cloud cover but remaining mainly dry, seeing temperatures between 19-20 degrees. However, Friday is shaping up to be the warmest day, with the possibility of temperatures reaching 30 degrees locally. A heatwave is technically defined as five consecutive days with temperatures at or above 25 degrees, a threshold that some areas are expected to meet.

“

A lot of cloud is building in during the night, with best of the sunshine in the southeast, gradually encroaching further across the country, but a lot of the northwest has been quite cloudy of late.

Andrew Doran-Sherlock from Met Éireann noted a north-to-south divide in weather patterns, with the southeast generally experiencing the best sunshine. High pressure to the south is drawing warm, humid tropical maritime air northward. From Friday onwards, less cloud cover is expected as warm continental air moves in, pushing temperatures into the high 20s. While this warm spell will be significantly warmer than usual for this time of year, it is not expected to reach the extreme levels seen in other parts of Europe. However, the accompanying humidity may pose a risk of heat stress, prompting consideration for potential yellow warnings later in the week.

“

So from then, we will start to see temperatures in a lot of places hitting into the high 20s and locally that could get higher.