‘Spectacular’ weather unlikely to continue, Met Éireann says

The spectacular weather seen recently is unlikely to continue this week, according to Met Éireann.

Temperatures will remain slightly above normal for this time of year but the soaring temperatures and continual sunshine seen over the past fortnight are over for now, said forecaster David Rogers.

It will be cloudy this week with occasional showers and temperatures at a high of 19 or 20 degrees, he said. During sunny spells, temperatures could reach 24 or 25 degrees, he added.

“It will be a different week from the one we have just had . . . There is no sign this week of the spectacular weather we have seen recently,” he said. Temperatures and humidity will remain high at night.

No large amounts of rain are predicted to alleviate the drought confirmed last week after over two weeks of little rainfall. Water restrictions remain in place in parts of the country with local authorities continuing to appeal to people to conserve water.

Night-time restrictions and hose-pipe bans are in place in a number of counties, including Galway. Other councils have urged people not to use hose-pipes rather than banning them outright.

Dublin City Council has said if water consumption rose above the current increase of 30 million litres a day it would have to consider imposing restrictions. "We are still asking people to be aware of their water consumption and to not use water unnecessarily," said a spokesman.

The good weather has given a boost to the tourism sector with Fáilte Ireland saying there has been a "spike" in Irish people holidaying in Ireland.

Galway city, Westport, Killarney, Dingle, parts of Cork, Ennis and Dungarvan are among the places which have seen a boost in Irish holidaymakers.

“The spike has been in Irish people not only holidaying but just getting out,” said Alex Connolly, head of communications at Fáilte Ireland.

He said he expected figures to increase on predictions earlier this year which suggested six out of 10 Irish people planned to take at least one break in Ireland this year.

“This is a further bonanza given the increase in overseas visitors this year and the boost people are seeing from the Gathering,” he added.

Hotels in certain parts of the country have also seen an increase in Irish people booking in, said Michael Vaughan, president of the Irish Hotels Federation. This often involved people staying a night or two after visiting coastal areas on day-trips, he added.