Spring has sprung: Weekend sunshine expected

Highs of 17 degrees next week though starting to turn cold again for St Patrick’s Day

Spring has arrived with temperatures this weekend set to be warmer than Athens.

After a week of cold weather, the coming days, with the exception of Sunday, will be warm and sunny.

Temperatures on Saturday will climb to 15 degrees with good spells of sunshine in all parts of the country. The exception will be the east coast where it is set to be cloudy.

Sunday will be a cooler day with values closer to the norm for this time of year at 10 to 11 degrees.

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The milder conditions return next week with temperatures on Monday reaching 16 degrees, with high as 17 degrees in places. Temperatures of 15 degrees are expected in Athens next week.

Long-range forecast

Tuesday will also be lovely spring day with highs of 12 to 15 degrees in light to moderate southwest breezes.

The long-range forecast suggests that Wednesday and Thursday will have mild weather, but things could get a lot cooler for St Patrick’s Day on Friday.

There are indications that St Patrick’s Day could be cold with temperatures as low as seven degrees, though a more precise forecast will not be determined for several days.

It follows an exceptionally mild February and winter. The winter of 2016-2017 was marked by average values that were 1.6 degrees higher than normal in some places.

In February most weather stations recorded the highest average temperatures in five years, with some a degree above normal for the time of year.

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy is a news reporter with The Irish Times