The bank holiday weekend is set to be a little cooler than in recent days but plenty of clear spells and sunshine are forecast with rainfall amounts looking low for the next ten days.
Met Éireann says that cloud will push southwards this morning, possibly bringing some light rain or drizzle across northern counties. It will stay dry elsewhere with the cloud breaking up and sunshine returning particularly to Leinster and Dublin later this afternoon. Highs of 14 to 17 degrees are expected with light northerly breezes.
Met Éireann forecaster Deirdre Lowe says that whilst the weather will be reasonably fine in the coming days there isn’t a heatwave on the way.
“It is going to get a little cooler. There will be sunshine at times — quite good sunshine at times."
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Ms Lowe said it would be “pleasant enough” in the sunshine.
“But the nights are going to be quite chilly and the mornings will be quite cold,” she said. “Temperatures will be slightly warmer from midweek ..temperatures around the mid teens. A mix of cloud and sunny spells. Towards the end of the week it looks like the best temperatures will be in the west. But no heatwave!”
Saturday evening will see plenty of clear spells and dry weather with light northerly winds. A touch more cloud will push in over northern counties and it will be more chilly than usual with lows of 2 to 6 degrees.
Sunday is expected to be a “fine and dry day” with plenty of sunshine. Some cloud will drift in across Leinster for a time bringing a brief spell of light rain but most other areas will remain dry. However, forecasted temperatures are cooler with highs of 10 to 14 degrees in northeasterly breezes.
Sunday night will be cloudy but generally dry with just the slight chance of an odd shower passing over Leinster. It will feel quite cold overnight with lowest temperatures of 2 to 5 degrees with northeasterly breezes.
Another largely dry day is anticipated on Monday with a mix of sunny spells and some scattered cloud at times. It will feel cooler though with a northerly breeze and highs of just 10 to 13 degrees.
Cloud will gradually break up later in the evening on Monday with long clear spells developing across Leinster and Ulster.
It will be another rather cool night with temperatures falling to 1 to 4 degrees in light winds.
Conditions will remain largely calm and dry on Tuesday but it will become a touch cloudy later in the afternoon and evening. Winds will remain light too with highest temperatures of 12 to 15 degrees.
Clear spells will develop across southern areas later in the evening but it will stay quite overcast elsewhere with lowest temperatures of 5 to 8 degrees with light winds.
The spell of high pressure looks likely to remain through Wednesday so conditions are expected to remain calm and dry overall. It will be cloudy however with temperatures around the mid-teens.
Water Safety Ireland, the Coastguard and the RNLI are urging members of the public to be vigilant in the water this weekend.
Swimmers are reminded that lifeguards will not be in place at bathing locations around the country until mid June.
Water Safety Ireland says that “warm air doesn’t mean warm water” with water temperatures remaining quite cold nationwide. Swimmers should consider wearing a wetsuit to stay warm. They should also sport a bright swimming cap to increase their visibility in the water. People are also urged to never swim alone.
The organisations recommend that all boats and watercraft, including kayaks and canoes, be thoroughly inspected and maintained after the winter season. This includes servicing engines and ensuring all equipment, especially lifejackets, are in good condition.
Linda-Gene Byrne, RNLI Water Safety Lead says that it is great to see that water and beach and leisure time has increased over the years. However, she says that research indicates that 36 percent of people don’t know what to do if they get into trouble in the water.
Ms Gene Byrne says that swimmers should “float to live” if they find themselves in trouble.
“Tilt your head back with ears submerged and try to relax and control your breathing. Use your hands to help you stay afloat and then, once you are through the initial shock, call for help or swim to safety if you can.”
Members of the public who are using a boat this weekend should tell someone about their planned route and expected return time. They should always wear a life jacket and carry reliable communications devices such as VHF Radio and ideally a Personal Locator Beacon Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), with a mobile phone in a waterproof case as a backup.
