Ireland heatwave: Met Éireann issues high-temperature warning for weekend

Tomas Doherty

Met Éireann has issued a warning for high temperatures this weekend with Ireland reaching heatwave status by Sunday if the hot conditions continue as expected.

The national weather agency said maximum temperatures will exceed more than 27 degrees Celsius on Friday in Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Cavan, Monaghan, Roscommon and Tipperary.

The high-temperature alert will be in place from 12pm on Friday until 6am on Saturday.

Another high-temperature warning will then come into effect for the entire country until 6am on Sunday.

Met Éireann said the hot weather could raise the risk of forest fires and cause water safety issues due to increased use of lakes and beaches.

The settled conditions come thanks to a zone of high pressure stretching towards Ireland from the Azores, bringing with it a fresh wave of heat.

The weather station in Dublin's Phoenix Park recorded a high of 25 degrees on Wednesday, with temperatures as high as 30 degrees possible on Saturday.

While there is no generally accepted definition of a heatwave, Met Éireann said a heatwave on the island of Ireland is classified as five consecutive days with a maximum temperature in excess of 25 degrees.

Any heatwave could be short-lived, however, with Met Éireann saying current indications suggest a "cooler and more unsettled" start to next week.

Based on current observations, showers and longer spells of rain are expected early next week with temperatures likely to be in the high teens to low 20s.