Scorching weather to last through coming week, says Met Éireann

The heatwave which brought high temperatures in recent days is set to continue for the rest of the week and may see the mercury soar above 30 degrees, according to Met Éireann.

The sunshine, which brought bumper-to-bumper traffic to many beaches and beauty spots over the weekend, has also meant that water restrictions have been imposed in some areas.

While Met Éireann’s high temperature advisory is in place until Friday, this may be upgraded to a temperature warning later this week if the heat continues to rise.

The forecaster said temperatures across Ireland will remain "very warm until Friday, with daytime temperatures into the high 20s and very humid at night, with temperatures staying in the mid to high teens".

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The highest recorded temperature on Sunday was 29.3 degrees at Mount Dillon in Co Roscommon, according to Met Éireann. Earlier, the temperature had hit 28.8 degrees in Athenry, Co Galway.

Met Éireann’s current temperature advisory may increase to a warning later this week if temperatures continue to rise, particularly at night, forecaster Liz Walsh told The Irish Times.

The advisory system is “loosely based” on the World Meteorological Association’s system of measuring tropical nights when overnight temperatures do not fall below 18 degrees, she said, adding that night time temperatures in the coming days are expected to be about 15-16 degrees.

“As we go through this week it does look like night time temperatures will rise even further so I wouldn’t be surprised if the advisory becomes a warning.”

On Saturday, Northern Ireland recorded a new record high temperature, according to the Met Office, on what was the hottest day of the year so far on the island of Ireland when Ballywatticock, in Co Down, Northern Ireland, reached 31.2 degrees on Saturday.

In the Republic, temperatures were confirmed to have reached over 29 degrees, making it the hottest day of the year so far in the State. Met Éireann said temperatures hit 29.5 degrees in Athenry, Co Galway.

Meanwhile, Irish Water has warned that night-time restrictions and urgent appeals for conservation have been made in a number of locations across the country as the warmer weather prompts increased water demands for domestic, agricultural and leisure uses.

Some households in north Dublin face intermittent low water pressure and/or outages until 10am on Monday, while there are night-time restrictions on water supply in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, and Portlaoise, Co Laois.

Tom Cuddy, Irish Water’s head of asset operations, asked people to take note of their water usage and conserve where possible, although he added there are currently no plans to implement a water conservation order.

The highest recent recorded temperature in Ireland was 32.3 degrees Celsius in Co Roscommon in July 2006.

The record was set in June 1887 when 33.3 degrees was recorded at Kilkenny Castle.

Meteorologist Elizabeth Coleman told The Irish Times the hot weather will continue through until Friday.

“Temperatures will still be quite warm into next weekend,” she said. “It should still be in the early 20s, around 20-22.”

The fine weather has resulted in traffic congestion at various beaches and beauty spots.

Gardaí in Co Mayo warned of congestion accessing Achill Island and in the Louisburgh area and surrounding beaches and have urged beach goers to avoid these areas as “car parks are at capacity”.

In Galway, gardaí in Clifden reported significant congestion on roads approaching Dog’s Bay Beach and Gurteen Beach and warned that illegally and dangerously parked cars were now being towed away to ensure access was clear in case of an emergency.

A spokesman for the Dublin Coast Guard said there had been no major callouts on Sunday and that while beaches were busy, there had been no emergencies on coastal areas.

Malin Head Coast guard and Valentia coast guard also reported busy days but with no emergency callouts.

Next week

Monday will be very warm and dry in most areas with a few localised showers that may break out over the south of the country.

Highest temperatures are expected to be between 22 to 27 degrees, with cooler conditions near northern and eastern coasts due to light easterly breezes.

Monday night will be another mild night with mainly clear skies. Temperatures will not fall below 13 to 16 degrees in most areas.

Tuesday will be another mostly dry and sunny day with light southeasterly or variable breezes. Some cloud will appear in the afternoon and a localised thundery shower or two may break out during the evening with highs of 23 to 27 degrees.