Ireland braces for continued heat, with weekend dip before warm weather returns

Ireland is set for another very warm or hot day on Thursday, with highs likely to reach 29 or 30 degrees Celsius. This heat is part of an ongoing status-yellow high-temperature warning, though it is set to lapse on Friday morning. Met Éireann, the national meteorological service, has indicated the warning could be extended, particularly for southern counties experiencing the most intense heat.

The current hot weather is expected to peak on Thursday, but current indications suggest temperatures will rise again next week. However, a dip is anticipated over the weekend. Areas in the north and northwest will experience relatively cooler conditions from Friday due to a change to a northerly airflow, with highs reaching about 17 to 20 degrees Celsius. Temperatures generally look set to ease slightly after Friday, reaching 22 to 26 degrees in Munster and Leinster on Saturday, which will be dry and sunny. Sunday is forecast to be a cooler day, with highs expected between 20 and 24 degrees Celsius.

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So there is the potential for those temperatures to stay above average and for this hot spell, while it will take a dip at the weekend, to stick around through next week, with very little rainfall on the cards.

Met Éireann meteorologist Ailís Hankinson noted that the high pressure bringing the hot conditions is likely to persist throughout next week. "So there is the potential for those temperatures to stay above average and for this hot spell, while it will take a dip at the weekend, to stick around through next week, with very little rainfall on the cards," she said. Despite the heat, a six-week hosepipe ban came into effect just after midnight on Thursday for Dublin, south Tipperary, and parts of Wicklow, Kildare, Meath, and Wexford to safeguard water supplies. Hankinson added that while there's a chance of some cloudier conditions and light showers from the north, any rainfall accumulations will be minimal.

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