Sunday, Monday and Tuesday will see “extremely warm weather” in Ireland with daytime temperatures of 25C to 30C generally and possibly up to 32C in places on Monday. Met Éireann said it will remain uncomfortably warm overnight as well with overnight temperatures between 15 and 20 degrees. Issuing a yellow weather warning across the country, it said there was a risk of water-related incidents, effects of heat stress especially for more vulnerable people and a high UV index. The warning comes into effect from 6am on Sunday and lasts until 9pm on Tuesday. Over the coming days a combination of factors will drive the high temperatures seen in Europe to Ireland for a short period, according to Met Éireann operational meteorologist Paul Downes. He said the high temperatures were being caused by a section of the Azores High moving in from the southwest over Ireland for the weekend, bringing a rise in temperatures but still keeping warmer air to the south. (Source: European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) Writing in his forecaster’s commentary, Mr Downes said that as high pressure moves away to the east, it will also direct wind from the south-east. “The cyclonic or counter-clockwise flow of the low working in conjunction with the anti-cyclonic flow from aloft will create a strong surge of warm air between the two systems, thus pushing the warm air towards Ireland, transporting the air mass that has brought exceptional temperatures to Europe, to Ireland,” he said. Today and tomorrow temperatures will generally be in the low to mid 20s, some upper clouds will make the sunshine a bit hazy at times and there is also a chance of showers. Temperatures will climb into the 20s on Sunday and possibly into the upper 30s for some areas on Monday. “There’s a bit more uncertainty about Tuesday, but it looks like it’s going to be another hot day and maybe as hot, if not hotter than Monday,” Downs said. People are advised to cover up, wear SPF protection, seek shade and stay hydrated. Warmer air also brings a chance for a few thunderstorms, “especially Tuesday.” Overnight temperatures will also be warm and humid, with temperatures Sunday and Monday night likely not falling below the mid-teens. “In some areas it may not drop below 20 degrees Celsius, which is known as a tropical night,” Downes said. System failure is expected Tuesday or Wednesday, with low pressure steering in cooler air and wet conditions. How to stay safe in 30C heat In recent decades we have seen an increase in the frequency, duration and intensity of extremely hot weather across most land areas of the planet, Mr Downes said. Human-induced climate change, resulting from greenhouse gas pollution, is the main driver of this increase in extreme heat. “While extremely warm weather occurs within natural climate variability, the kinds of temperature extremes we see in Europe are directly affected by climate change,” he wrote. “June 2022 was Europe’s second warmest on record and the USA’s warmest. The eight warmest Junes on record globally have all occurred in the past eight years,” he added. Keith Lambkin, Head of Climate Services at Met Éireann said: “Due to climate change, we expect to see heatwaves become longer, more frequent and more intense than in the past. This increase in heat increases the chances of breaking temperature record.” The highest temperatures ever recorded in Ireland were 33.3C at Kilkenny Castle on 26 June 1887, followed by 32.3C at Elphin, Roscommon on 19 July 2006.
