Temperatures will top 20 degrees Celsius this week with the potential arrival of a weather phenomenon known as the Azores high, according to Met Éireann.
The forecaster last week indicated the potential arrival of the phenomenon, which last July brought a heatwave with high temperature warnings to the island, towards the end of this week.
It sees a near-permanent area of high pressure usually positioned in the sub-tropical Atlantic near the Azores Islands build north and become established over Ireland, displacing the jet stream and bringing dry, settled weather.
Met Éireann meteorologist Paul Downes last week told The Irish Times that Azores highs “generally stick around in the longer term” – meaning a potential longer spell of summer weather.
“There is a tendency that if the high pressure gets stuck in for about a week that it tends to stay on a bit longer,” he said.
With this in mind, Met Éireann is currently forecasting a week of climbing temperatures ahead of a “warm and dry” weekend when the mercury could hit a high of 24 degrees.
#UVlevels will be very high or high in any sunshine🌤️
Take care in the sun and be #SunSmart 🧴😎
More on UV⬇️https://t.co/sbFTHg2mPF pic.twitter.com/6x6EPIbmNB— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) July 6, 2022
The forecaster said Wednesday will be mostly dry, although there will be cloudy skies with some patchy rain or drizzle. “Some places will get the odd bright spell, best of these in the east and southeast,” it added.
Highest temperatures of 16 degrees in the northwest and up to 21 or 22 degrees in the southeast are forecast.
Thursday will start cloudy with some spells of sunshine developing throughout the day, with the best of these in the south or east. “A good deal of dry weather with just light scattered showers,” Met Éireann said.
Highest temperatures will range from 17 degrees in western and northern areas, to 22 or 23 degrees in the south and southeast.
Friday will be dry in many areas, although the northwest will receive some light rain. There will be a good deal of cloud cover with better sunshine later in the day, most likely in the south.
Highest temperatures of 17 to 23 degrees, warmest in the southeast and coolest in the northwest, are forecast.
Weekend weather
Saturday will be largely dry with well-scattered showers in a mix of cloud and sunny periods. Highest temperatures of 19 to 23 degrees, warmest in the south and a little cooler in the far west and northwest, are expected.
Sunday will be another mainly dry and warm day, with just isolated showers and sunny spells. Highest temperatures of 20 to 24 degrees, with the best values across Leinster and Munster, are forecast.
Met Éireann said the early days of next week look set to bring a lot of dry weather with temperatures in the low or possibly mid 20s. It will be somewhat cooler for western and northwestern areas.
