Temperatures climb as highs of up to 20 degrees forecast for the weekend

Nights will be progressively warmer through the week as temperatures start to climb

It will remain predominately dry with sunny spells and only slight breezes on Friday and Saturday. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times
It will remain predominately dry with sunny spells and only slight breezes on Friday and Saturday. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times

After months of damp and cold, it finally looks like a taste of summer is on the way.

This week, much of the country can expect persistent high pressure, with each day getting slightly better than the last, all the way into the weekend.

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As the independent forecaster Carlow Weather put it: “Ice cream makers and burger bun bakers, you might want to ramp up for the coming weekend.”

With dry conditions and only light to moderate northwest breezes threatening to spoilt the mood, Met Éireann forecasters predict temperatures climbing pleasantly from about 14 to 18 degrees on Tuesday. Things could get even hotter on Wednesday.

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“High pressure will dominate the week ahead and each day will be a little warmer out to the weekend,” Met Éireann said.

The rest of the week will see temperatures bottom out at between 4 and 8 degrees, with each night also getting progressively warmer.

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It will remain predominately dry with sunny spells and only slight breezes on Friday and Saturday, when weekend temperatures are expected to hit the 20 degree mark.

“Current indications suggest the possibility of a little light rain on Sunday with temperatures dropping a little as a result,” according to Met Éireann, although with high pressure likely to build again next week, the fine conditions could be set to linger.

Carlow Weather posts this week show an unfamiliar image of Ireland basking in red.

“Another beautiful morning with lovely early sunshine for most,” its administrator, amateur forecaster Alan O’Reilly posted on Tuesday.

“Temperatures ranging from 0 degrees in the southwest to 11 degrees in the northwest where cloud kept temperatures up. Cloud increasing into the afternoon with sunny spells and then a lovely evening ahead.”

Mark Hilliard

Mark Hilliard

Mark Hilliard is a reporter with The Irish Times