Bank Holiday weekend set for hail, gale-force winds and unsettled weather

Met Éireann predicts unsettled weather with some gale-force gusts this Bank Holiday weekend, as gardaí urged the public to enjoy the days off responsibly.

Weather will be mixed throughout the long weekend, with a combination of sunshine and scattered showers on Saturday. There is also a chance of hail, with temperatures expected to remain relatively cool, reaching a maximum of nine to 12 degree Celsius, according to Met Éireann.

Sunday morning will bring “hazy sunshine”, although clouds will build through the day, the forecaster said.

Patchy drizzle may develop, particularly over higher ground in Ulster. Highs of nine to 13 degrees are predicted along with light and variable breezes. Overnight rain will spread from the west, with strong to near gale winds along exposed coasts.

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It will be wet and blustery on Monday, with widespread rain and fresh to strong winds. Southern coasts will get gale-force winds in the morning before the strong and gusty winds veer northwest. Highest temperatures will be between nine and 12 degrees, but it may be cooler in Ulster, Met Éireann predicts.

Members of An Garda Síochána will be continuing nationwide checkpoints and high-visibility patrols across the State this weekend. Drivers found in breach of the travel regulations can be fined along with their adult passengers, the Garda is warning.

Currently people are allowed to travel within their county or within 20km of their home. A total of six people from two households are allowed to meet up outdoors in public, but meeting in private homes or gardens is not permitted.

More than 20,500 fines have been issued for people in breach of the Covid-19 public health regulations, including nearly 15,000 €100 charges for non-essential travel, according to the latest Garda figures.

Almost half (45 per cent) of all Covid-19 fines were issued on weekends, while more than half (53 per cent) of offenders have been aged 18 to 25.

In the past seven days gardaí have issued 45 fines to people who organised events, including house parties, while 127 people were fined for attending such gatherings.

Deputy Commissioner of Policing and Security Anne Marie McMahon urged people not to gather in large groups and to maintain social distancing.

“When you are enjoying the outdoors this weekend please maintain the good practices that have got us to this position… Please do not hold or attend house parties,” she said.

While the majority of people have been abiding by the guidelines, there are those whose actions have the potential to jeopardize the recovery of the country, the Garda said.

Prof Pete Lunn, head of the Behavioural Research Unit at the ESRI, told Friday’s public health briefing that there has been a “really marked decline” in the degree of self-reported compliance between January and April of this year.

People are “pushing the boundaries more as the year has gone on”, as anxiety and worry declines, he said.

The proportion of people who have been staying at home rather than going out has been “steadily falling” in 2021 and is now around the level seen in September and October, he said. Still, around 75 per cent of the population say they are staying at home more than they would if there was no pandemic.

He said visits to homes “actually flattened off” over the Easter holiday period, which is “encouraging”, he said.

Prof Lunn said that messaging warning against indoor social visits could have encouraged this flattening.

“It remains the case where almost half the population is still in the situation where they are meeting nobody, typically over a 48-hour period, from outside their household. So there is quite a skewed distribution with a smaller number of people meeting quite a large proportion of contacts,” he added.

“What we are really asking people to do is stick within the guidelines.”