Drought alert as heatwave officially here
Parents urged not to fill children’s paddling pools
AS the nation swelters, Irish Water is urging parents not to fill paddling pools to cool down their little ones – with even hotter weather on the way and drought risks heightened.
Forecasters have warned that Ireland could be hit with an Orange warning as the scorching weather is set to continue all this week.
Met Éireann said a Yellow warning will be in place tomorrow and Thursday as the mercury is set to hit 29C.
However, the midlands could see temperatures going higher, with the risk of an Orange warning being issued as a result.
It comes as Ireland will officially reach heatwave status today with temperatures set to remain high for the remainder of the week.
Today will mark the fifth day in a row in which temperatures will exceed 25C, achieving official
‘Don’t use paddling pools’
heatwave status for the count.
Met Eireann added that the temperatures in Ireland could actually reach or get close to the hottest July on record so far which was 32.3C in Elphin, Co. Roscommon, on July 19, 2006.
And they warned that we are near drought situation in places.
It has triggered a warning from water bosses to conserve as much water as possible with the recent heatwave and demand from staycationers holidaying around the country contributing to the pressure on services.
Although, Irish Water currently has no plans to implement a hose-pipe ban, it has urged people not to fill paddling pools or use hoses to cool down.
Tom Cuddy, Irish Water’s head of asset operations, said: ‘With temperatures remaining high, we have seen demand for water double in some areas from what would be normal
‘As demand increases, we are appealing to the public to redouble their efforts in conserving water for essential use only.
‘Leave the hose and the pressure washer in the shed. Don’t use paddling pools. Reuse household water for the garden and take shorter showers.
‘As rivers, lakes and groundwater levels reduce through the summer and autumn period, there is less water available for supply, while at the same time, the warmer weather gives rise to increased water demands for domestic, agricultural and leisure uses. Safeguarding the supply of water is essential at this time when handwashing, and hygiene is of critical importance.
‘We are calling on everyone to play their part.’
He said water use has increased massively in the last week.
He said in greater Dublin alone water usage increased in the last week by 56million litres each day up to last Saturday. It was the hottest day of the year on Sunday, reaching 29.6C in Durrow, Co. Laois, which beat Galway’s previous record made on Saturday by just 0.1C. Met Éireann’s head of forecasting Evelyn Cusack added: ‘We are likely to upgrade to a warning, perhaps touching Orange level in parts of the midlands [this week]. It’s fairly widespread. The midlands is always the worst.’ Usually, a Status Orange alert is given before expected weather conditions that could significantly impact people, property and activity in an area, but they can also be issued at times of very high temperatures.
It will be extremely hot and dry again today, with little chance of clouds. By the evening there might be a slight chance of heavy rain, but day temperatures will remain between 24C and 29C. The night will then be humid and hot.
Tomorrow and Thursday will be dry and warm again, with only the occasional cloudy spells. It is forecast to be between 25C and 29C throughout the country, with the chance of higher temperatures in more inland areas. Again, both nights will be humid and sticky.
The heatwave will ease slightly on Friday, with showers on the way and temperatures dropping to between 22C and 26C. The weekend is expected to bring similar wet and milder weather.