‘It gets better’: Met Éireann says sunshine will return by mid-weekend onwards

The Health Service Executive’s “SunSmart” campaign for the bank holiday weekend will feel less like a warning and more like a cause of celebration given the weather this year.

February, March and April were much wetter than normal and there has been very little respite from the wet weather but for a five-day period towards the end of last month.

The bank holiday weekend, though, looks like the start of something promising. Saturday will start wet in many places, but it will give way to dry weather. Sunday will see warm temperatures rising to between 13 and 18 degrees that day and much the same on Monday.

Met Éireann forecaster Liz Walsh says high pressure will build next week given dry and settled weather next week.

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It looks especially promising towards next weekend with temperatures reaching the low 20s on Thursday and Friday.

“It gets better as it goes along. The outlook seems to be for some semblance of May sunny weather next week,” she said.

The HSE National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) and Healthy Ireland are using the first decent spell of weather to unveil their SunSmart campaign for this year.

The SunSmart campaign aims to disabuse those people who think “Irish sun isn’t real sun”.

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HSE specialist in public health medicine Dr Breeda Neville said: “It is important to remember the sun can be strong enough in Ireland to damage your skin and is strongest during the middle of the day, typically between 11am and 3pm. The SunSmart campaign outlines the steps you can take to protect your skin from the sun and reduce your risk of skin cancer. Make SunSmart part of your daily routine and enjoy the sun safely by following the SunSmart 5S’s.”

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