‘Pleasant’ weekend weather forecast as thunder warning expires

A warm and sunny weekend has been forecast for Ireland with temperatures rising towards 23 degrees in some areas.

An earlier Met Éireann status orange thunder warning for the eastern half of the country expired at midday.

Liz Coleman, a Met Éireann meteorologist, said there would be some showers in the west on Saturday but nothing like the downpours seen in some eastern areas earlier in the day.

“It will be a typical summer day in Ireland,” she said. “It won’t be that high heat we had during week, as that air mass has moved on. But it will brighten up and be quite pleasant, and quite dry.”

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Temperatures are expected to range from 18 to 23 degrees nationwide, with the coolest conditions in the south and warmest in the midlands.

“We will get some good sunshine, some really good sunshine on the east coast and parts of the west. It will quite warm in the sunshine.”

Sunday is expected to be a breezier day as the weather system continues to shift westwards. But Ms Coleman said sunny spells would continue with some scattered showers in the afternoon “but nothing too intense”.

It will feel cooler than Saturday, with temperatures ranging from 16 to 20 degrees, mildest in the east. “Not so bad at all,” Ms Coleman said of the outlook.

Some scattered showers are forecast for Monday, mainly in the north and west of country. But it will also be sunny with temperatures continuing in the high teens, warmest in the south and east.

By Tuesday and into Wednesday, a high pressure system is forecast to build and bring “quite dry” weather, with temperatures rising again to late teens and even higher.

“By Wednesday we could be up to 20 or 21,” said Ms Coleman.