Sunshine forecast for weekend as clouds finally clear in exceptionally wet year

Highest temperatures up to 18 degrees are expected in many parts of Ireland

Better weather is expected after a protracted rainy season, Met Éireann said. Photograph: Tom Honan/The Irish Times
Better weather is expected after a protracted rainy season, Met Éireann said. Photograph: Tom Honan/The Irish Times

The weather across the country is due to pick up this weekend, according to Met Éireann, with spells of sunshine on the way.

Saturday is forecast to be dry with good spells of sunshine and highest temperatures of 13 to 17 degrees generally with light variable breezes.

However, it will be a little cooler near coasts where sea breezes develop, Met Éireann said.

Dry and clear with light winds on Saturday night will bring lowest temperatures of 2 to 5 degrees. The weather is due to be dry and mainly sunny again on Sunday, with highest temperatures of 15 to 18 degrees with light variable winds.

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At night, the lowest temperatures will be 3 to 5 degrees with light winds.

It has been an extremely wet year to date. Overall rainfall in March was 145 per cent of normal across the State with Dublin stations and Valentia in Co Kerry recording twice the monthly average. It was one of the 10 wettest March months on record though still drier than March 2023, which was the wettest on record.

It comes after Ireland’s third wettest year on record last year, behind 2015 and 2009.

The persistent rain has led to problems for Irish farmers, who have been delayed in putting crops in the ground.

Monday will see similar weather again, though the highest temperatures will be slightly lower, from 12 or 13 degrees in the north, up to 17 degrees in the south. Light variable breezes will become light to moderate northerly later.

It will be mainly dry with some sunny spells Tuesday with isolated patches of drizzle and highest temperatures of 13 to 15 degrees in light to moderate northerly breezes.

The outlook to midweek next week suggests more unsettled conditions will return with rain at times and temperatures falling back to 10 to 12 degrees in the afternoons.

Jade Wilson

Jade Wilson

Jade Wilson is a reporter for The Irish Times