Met Éireann has revealed when we can expect to see the return of rain as the country braces for another week of sweltering temperatures.
Last month’s record temperature of 25.8°C in Athenry, Co Galway marked the warmest recorded April day on record, and the national forecaster says the settled conditions are likely to stay for a little longer.
According to Met Éireann, today will be dry with plenty of sunshine and just light easterly or variable breezes.
Highest temperatures of 17 to 26 degrees are forecast, warmest across the midlands, west and southwest.
To top off the weekend, Sunday will be another dry day, with lots of sunshine and more high temperatures of 20 to 24 degrees.
Looking at the week ahead, forecasters are predicting high pressure to persist for much of the week, with below average rainfall and above average temperatures for this time of year.
Met Éireann says there will be a mostly dry week ahead for all areas, with minor exceptions
"While there will be plenty of dry and sunny weather generally, there is the chance of some scattered showers on Monday and Tuesday," the forecaster said.
"Current indications suggest a break in the settled weather towards the weekend."
Met Éireann's head of forecasting, Eoin Sherlock, explained why the country is getting so much consistently intense sunshine in recent weeks, claiming Ireland is benefitting from a weather pattern known as an ‘Omega blocking high’.
Named for its similarity in shape to the Greek letter Omega, it is a weather pattern in which a high-pressure system gets trapped between two low-pressure systems. Weather in the high-pressure middle is typically characterised by warm and dry conditions.
“The high pressure is being kept over Ireland,” Sherlock said.
Sherlock says those conditions are favouring the cloudless blue skies and heat that we are “lucky” to be experiencing at the moment.
“A lot of the times we’re on the wrong side of the block and you have the poorer weather, the rain and the wind.
“With the high pressure, there’s no cloud. So we’re basically getting all the heat coming in from the sun.”
The warm spell is due to last at least to the end of next week, he added.
“We can expect this high to hang around for two weekends, probably to the end of the working week, so maybe Thursday or Friday of next week.”
He sounded a note of warning, saying that people are often keen to flock to the beach and other bathing spots during warmer weather.
He urged people to take extra care if heading for a dip.
“There are nice temperatures. I know people like to get the shirts off, the bag of cans. But we’re just stressing the fact that, unfortunately, when the temperatures go up, you do see a higher incidence of people drowning.”
Sherlock also stressed the need for people to “slap on the old sun cream” when going out to soak up the strong sun.
With the good weather comes concerns around water shortages in certain parts of the country.
Last week, a hosepipe ban came into effect for three different counties.
The ban, officially referred to as a water conservation order, will apply to Milford, Co Donegal, Mullingar, Co Westmeath and Kells-Oldcastle, Co Meath for six weeks.
It was implemented by Uisce Éireann last week as part of efforts to safeguard water resources for essential purposes.
A spokesperson for the national water utility said this was due to a “sharp drop in water levels” at the sources supplying these areas following a “drier-than-average autumn, winter and spring”.
Lough Owel, the main source of water for Mullingar Public Water Supply, is at its lowest level in 50 years.
Lough Colmcille and Lough Bane which supply Milford in Donegal and Kells-Oldcastle in Co Meath respectively, are also at historically low levels.
