By Sunday, we’re going to be toasting like Ibiza

PACK away the brolly and break out the barbecue because this Sunday is forecast to be as hot as Ibiza.

While tomorrow to Friday look like standard April weather with the mercury hitting around 14 degrees, the weekend is looking very promising with sunshine and highs of up to 18 degrees.

If these readings prove to be accurate, they could match the temperatures on the Spanish party island of Ibiza.

It will come as a welcome reprieve for farmers who have been praying for good weather, saying the months of wet rain could lead to a potato shortage.

Met Éireann forecast: ‘On Wednesday morning, cloud will increase from the north and light rain and drizzle will develop in the north and spread southwards through the day, reaching southern counties in the early evening.

‘Friday will start mostly cloudy with isolated showers, but sunny spells will improve later in the day. Highest temperatures of 10 to 15 degrees with light to moderate north to northwest winds.

‘On Saturday, most areas will be dry with some sunshine at times with highest temperatures of 12 to 17. Sunday is looking mostly dry with sunshine at times with temperatures of 14 to 18 degrees with light winds.’

The prediction comes as meteorologists said that an El Nino weather event, which was causing havoc in areas of Australia, had ended.

Australian weather experts had confirmed the end of the cycle, adding that they were uncertain if a La Niña phenomenon would form later this year, as other forecasters have predicted.

The cycle between the two is hugely important for farmers worldwide. El Niño brings hotter, drier weather to eastern Australia and Southeast Asia, and wetter conditions to the Americas, while La Niña has the opposite effect.

The sea surface has been cooling since December and oceanic and atmospheric indicators show that the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has returned to neutral, the Australian weather bureau added.