New storm ‘Callum’ to spare us as sunshine on horizon

IRELAND will be hoping to end an extremely turbulent week of weather by dodging the worst of Storm Callum this weekend.

While forecasters in Britain are bracing for the possible arrival of the storm tomorrow, Ireland will be spared, according to Met Éireann.

“Storm Callum isn’t an issue for us,” forecaster Harm Luijkx told the Irish Independent last night.

Forecasters expressed concerns earlier this week that the third named storm of the season could bring more heavy rain and gale force winds on the heels of Storm Ali and Storm Bronagh, which have lashed Ireland and Britain.

“But all the computer models show it might be named [as an official storm] in the UK but it won’t hit us,” Mr Luijkx said.

However, we aren’t quite out of the woods yet. While today will start off dry in most areas, rain will develop in the south this morning before moving northwards through the course of the day.

Most areas in the north, however, will stay dry with light winds.

Temperatures will be on the cool side, with daytime highs of between 11C to 14C. The mercury will drop overnight as low as 4C.

Tomorrow will be even more unsettled. Heavy rain is expected in the south tomorrow morning that could extend as far as north Leinster, he said. It will also be quite windy in the south and south-east with temperatures remaining on the cool side.

Pleasant

But the picture will improve by Monday when high pressure replaces the series of low pressure systems that have dominated the weather over the past week.

While it won’t be as warm as previously forecast – with daytime highs not exceeding 14C – there should be plenty of sunshine around for the entire week, Mr Luijkx said.

“The nights could be cold with a touch of frost but other than that it will be pleasant and calm,” he said.

The return to more moderate autumn weather comes after Storm Ali, the first officially named storm of the season, wreaked havoc across Ireland and Britain earlier this week.

Swiss tourist Elvira Ferraii (56) died after a caravan was blown off a cliff in Clifden, Co Galway, while electrician Robert Matthew Campbell (24) died when a tree fell on him at Co Armagh.