People are being advised to avoid indoor meetings this bank holiday weekend, with the weather forecast suggesting relatively mild and dry conditions to come.
“There will be a lot of dry weather, generally speaking. It will be mild or even warm in the sunshine when it does get through,” Met Éireann forecaster Siobhán Ryan said.
She said Saturday will “probably be the cloudiest” day of the bank holiday weekend, beginning “a bit gloomy”, with cloud and mist bringing patchy outbreaks of drizzle. Temperatures of 14 to 19 degrees are expected.
Sunday looks “almost fully dry over Ireland”, with sunny spells breaking through the clouds at times, Ms Ryan said, though the southeast may get a few isolated showers. Maximum temperatures of 15 to 19 degrees are expected.
Mist and fog is forecast for early on Monday, but this will clear quickly to leave most areas dry with bright sunny spells. Clouds will linger along the Atlantic coastal counties, bringing patches of light rain and drizzle, although these will “probably hold off until early nighttime”, Ms Ryan explained.
Temperatures are expected to reach highs of 16 to 20 degrees in mostly light southwesterly winds.
Deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn has called on young people to avoid indoor meetings this bank holiday weekend.
Speaking on Spin FM, he said that if people wanted to meet up, they should do so outdoors and in groups of no more than six.
He said there were three key points to remember this weekend: “avoid crowds; manage your contacts; keep your distance and if you can’t wear a mask.”
“Avoid meeting up indoors, that is high risk,” he added.
Dr Glynn said there were still hundreds of cases every week and the vast majority were now in the under 45 age group. While people in this group were less likely to end up being hospitalised with Covid-19, he said “you can’t be sure of any one outcome”.
Ms Ryan said rainfall over the next week will be below average for this time of year, with temperatures a couple of degrees warmer in the east than normal.
Clearer weather is expected in the west following damp and drizzly conditions in recent days. The drier weather in the east will continue, Ms Ryan said.
Looking further into next week, it is forceast to be primarily dry with bright sunny spells in the east and south. Connacht, Ulster and the west coast of Munster will see occasional rain and drizzle. Temperatures will continue to increase, reaching 15 to 21 degrees on Tuesday and 17 to 23 degrees on Wednesday, warmest in the east and midlands.
Early indications suggest the country is in for dry and warm weather towards the end of next week, although scattered showers are a possibility. A high ultraviolet radiation (UV) reading of six to seven remains in place, Ms Ryan noted, so people should remember to protect their skin and wear sunglasses.
