THE coming weekend will bring the highest temperatures of the year so far, with a high of at least 25" Celsius likely, probably in the midlands, according to Met Eireann.
Most of Ireland basked in sunshine yesterday. Shannon's 21 Celsius was the warmest of the day, while a sea breeze left Dublin and the east coast several degrees cooler, although this hardly seemed to matter to the thousands who flocked to public parks and beaches take the sun.
Met Eireann is reluctant to be drawn into predictions of a repeat of the summer of 1995, however. The most optimistic forecast for next week is continuing dry weather at lower temperatures, with the less optimistic outlook being the return of some rain.
Although consistently dry weather did set in around this time last year, the records show that the real onset of summer occurred later in the month.
One thing there will not be again this summer unless a sponsor emerges soon is a daily pollen forecast.
For the past 20 years, hay fever sufferers and others have benefited from the work of the Botany Department in Trinity College Dublin. This year, however, the shoestring budget previously provided by pharmaceutical companies and other sponsors has not materialised.
"The real problems for hay fever sufferers won't occur for another two weeks or so, because the grasses aren't flowering yet", said Dr Paul Dowding, TCD's one man pollen counting operation.
He has, on occasion, funded the operation himself, but not any longer. If any potential sponsors would like to help, £1,000 would provide at least the bare essentials of a service for the summer.
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