Status Yellow warning – and temperatures to rise all week

IRELAND baked in temperatures of up to 27C yesterday with the spell of warm weather now expected to last into next week.

Thousands flocked to beaches, forests, lakes and parks as Ireland basked in what promises to be the finest spell of summer weather for 42 years.

Traffic jams occurred at seaside towns and villages yesterday as Ireland revelled in weather hotter than in the Canary Islands.

Met Éireann issued a Status Yellow high temperature warning which will remain in place until 9pm on Friday – though the spell of fine weather is now expected to last for another week or 10 days.

Tomorrow and Thursday will see temperatures peak with most areas experiencing 26C or 27C.

There is a possibility Met Éireann could increase the alert to a Status Red warning if temperatures threaten to push beyond 30C.

Ireland’s hottest ever temperature was 33.3C recorded in 1887 – but the current heatwave could see temperatures rise to 31C or slightly above.

Met Éireann forecaster Siobhán Ryan said temperatures will continue to build for the remainder of the week.

“It will remain hot even into Saturday and the weekend,” she said.

“Over the next few days it is only going to get hotter.

“We are looking at temperatures in the mid to high 20s but there is definitely a fairly reasonable chance that temperatures could touch 30C or even 31C in some parts.

“It is relatively rare for Ireland to see those kind of temperatures.”

The hottest temperatures are likely in inland areas – mainly in the midlands – with no cooling sea breezes.

The peak is expected tomorrow and on Thursday – with some midland areas potentially seeing the mercury rising to a sizzling 30C or above.

The modern record for temperature in Ireland was set in 1976 when the temperature climbed to 31.6C in Clare.

The hottest place in Ireland yesterday was Carlow, where temperatures sizzled at 27.5C – with Carlow also boasting Ireland’s top temperature on Sunday.

Fine weather is expected to remain into next week, though there may then be a chance of summer thunder storms drifting up from the Bay of Biscay.

The tinder-dry conditions prompted the Department of Agriculture to issue an orange alert for potential forest fires.

A fire warning will remain in place until Thursday with Coillte staff and Dublin Fire Brigade already battling a blaze at Barnaslingan Wood for nine days.

“Forest fires pose a serious health and safety risk to the public and to people working in the forest sector,” a Coillte spokesperson said.

Coillte and Dublin Fire Brigade urged people to only use barbecues in designated areas – and to take extreme care when disposing of cigarettes, ashes or glass bottles which could ignite a fire.

The Irish Asthma Society also issued a warning, with hayfever sufferers facing “a perfect storm” with potentially record pollen levels due to the heat and sunshine.