Drought conditions are now prevalent in large parts of the south and southwest with no rain forecast for the foreseeable future.
With the exception of the northwest and west where there will be isolated showers over the coming days, the long hot, dry spell is set to continue, according to Met Éireann.
A yellow high temperature warning is in place for counties Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Galway and Mayo until 7am on Wednesday.
Another yellow high temperature warning has been issued for Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Offaly, Westmeath, Cavan and Donegal as well as all of Munster and Connacht.
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It will come into effect at noon on Wednesday, lasting until 6am on Friday.
The National Severe Weather and Flood Coordination Group met on Tuesday to discuss the impacts of the ongoing high temperatures.
It warned of possible drought conditions, animal welfare issues and potential wildfires and forest fires.
Other potential impacts include disruption to public transport, heat stress and dehydration as well as water safety issues due to increased swimming.
“While many people understandably welcome this period of warm weather, it is also placing additional pressure on many people, services and on our local water supplies and we have to respond to that,” said Minister for Housing James Browne.
Browne urged the public to “look out for anyone who may need assistance” over the coming days, and to take heed of advice from the HSE, Met Éireann and local authorities.
Met Éireann issued an updated weather advisory until 6am on Saturday for hot and dry weather.
Forecaster Holly O’Neill said conditions until Friday week show little change in prospect.
“High pressure in the North Atlantic is going to remain over us over the coming days. It does shift ever so slightly northwards on Friday, we start to get a more northerly airflow, we will be looking at highs of 22 degrees to 26 degrees, slightly cooler, but still higher than normal,” she said.
“The indications into next week is that the high pressure will be there and the temperatures will creep up again. Whether we will have to issue further weather warnings remains to be seen.
“There is no indication that we will have an end to the hot weather.”
Parts of south and southeast are now officially in drought. Moore Park in Co Cork has had a heatwave for nine days in which temperatures of 25 degrees or more have been recorded. Valentia Island, which recorded its highest ever temperature of 30 degrees on Sunday, is also officially in a heatwave with five successive days of plus 25 degrees temperatures.
Water restrictions have been introduced for all of Dublin and parts of surrounding counties as Uisce Éireann warns of dwindling supplies.
A formal “water-conservation order”, commonly known as a hosepipe ban will be in effect for six weeks, beginning at a minute past midnight on Thursday and running until midnight on August 26th.
It applies to Dublin and south Tipperary as well as parts of Wicklow, Kildare, Meath and Wexford.
Uisce Éireann asset strategy manager Mairéad Conlon said the “water-conservation order” might be extended to other places as very little rain is forecast for the coming days.
[ Uisce Éireann defends hotline for people to report ‘non-essential’ use of waterOpens in new window ]
“We have made this decision with horizon scanning looking at the long-term rainfall,” she said.
“We don’t see any let-up in the current situation, but we don’t have a drought at the moment. Water usage is greater than capacity.
“Our sources are good at the moment from the winter, but, if we have a prolonged period of no rain, some of our more vulnerable sources could run into difficulty.”
Hosepipe bans specifically prohibit the use of hosepipes for watering gardens, washing cars or privately owned leisure boats and filling or maintaining a domestic swimming pool or paddling pool except where the latter is small enough to be filled using “hand-held containers filled directly from a tap”.
Domestic ponds and ornamental fountains also come under the ban, except for fish ponds.
Conlon said the current issues leading to a hosepipe ban are “demand-driven” rather than arising out of shortages in the water supply.
She said demand is up by 20 per cent in the areas that are covered by the hosepipe ban, notably Dublin, where extra water is being used on lawns and flower beds, in Wexford where demand is being led by a boom in tourism and in south Tipperary where demand is coming from agriculture.
[ What can’t I do under a hosepipe ban and how often are people fined or convicted?Opens in new window ]
The hosepipe ban includes a hotline where the public can report any violations of the ban. There are also potential fines of up to €5,000, but Conlon stressed that this has never been used and is more a measure to remind people to conserve water rather than to punish people for flouting a hosepipe ban.
With high pressure continuing to dominate, Tuesday will be mostly dry and sunny with highest temperatures of 23 to 29 degrees, Met Éireann said.
It will be warmest in the west on Tuesday though some cloud will develop in the southwest in the late afternoon. It will be a little fresher in the east, with light to moderate breezes.
Tuesday night will be dry in most of the country, with clear skies. It is expected to be warmest in the south, with temperatures falling to between 14 and 19 degrees.
Wednesday will be another dry, very warm day with lots of sunshine, though the risk of heavy showers and thunderstorms will increase – most likely in parts of the south, midlands and west.
Highest temperatures are expected to reach 23 to 28 degrees, staying a little cooler near the east coast.
Thursday will continue very warm or hot for most, though there is a chance of heavy showers and thunderstorms developing, most likely affecting parts of the south and West. Highest temperatures of 24 to 28 degrees in light breezes.
At this stage, Friday also looks set to be sunny and very warm or hot for many with temperatures in the mid to high 20s. A northerly breeze may bring cooler conditions to the north and northwest. Heavy showers or thundery downpours are possible in parts too.
The continuing dry spell could affect people’s comfort and safety, Met Éireann said.
