Warm weather brings relief after a cold spring

Temperatures will reach highs of 18 to 19 degrees in many parts of the country over the coming days.

A spell of warm, settled weather is on its way, bringing relief to farmers and gardeners as it has been a cold spring so far and growth has been mediocre at best.

Met Éireann forecaster Joanna Donnelly said it will be a “fine week for the garden”.

The warmest weather will be in the midlands area and on the west coast. Sea breezes will keep temperatures lower in the east.

Blue skies and warm temperatures in store for start of weekend

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Monday and Tuesday will be the best of the days with glorious sunshine across the country. The weather will stay fine until the weekend although it will not be as warm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

“Sea temperatures are still very cold so there will be mist and fog on the coast,” said Ms Donnelly.

“Tomorrow looks like it will be a beautiful day with glorious sunshine although a little bit chillier on the east coast.”

Last week the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) warned that ongoing difficult weather conditions and incessant rainfall were having a “massive impact” on farmers across the country.

Farmers were enduring six weeks of bad weather after a very wet and cold March followed by more of the same for the first two weeks of April.

Livestock are indoors, the sowing of crops has been delayed and fertiliser for first-cut silage has yet to be spread, the IFA warned, adding the financial cost of this is spiralling by the week.

President Tim Cullinan said farmers were “very stressed at the moment; land is waterlogged preventing any fieldwork while fodder stocks are now running out on many livestock farms as stock are indoors eating silage instead of grass”.