Just three days into summer and already the season is delivering the sunshine which more often than not we are left hoping for. Yesterday saw temperatures rising to 18 degrees Celsius, making it the warmest day so far this year.
All parts of the State enjoyed sunshine, though the best of the weather was in the east and north-east. Temperatures in Dublin and Kilkenny reached 18 degrees, with Belfast not far behind.
There was sufficient sunshine to cause sunburn on unprotected skin. There didn't appear to be too many bottles of sun lotion about in St Stephen's Green, Dublin, however, as sunbathers lapped up the rays.
The sunshine was the result of a large area of high pressure extending from the Azores to the North Sea, keeping the weather over much of Ireland settled.
However, in the west and north-west by early afternoon yesterday sunshine gave way to drizzly showers. In Belmullet and Malin Head temperatures climbed to just 12 and 13 degrees respectively. However, on Tuesday - the first day of summer - temperatures in Claremorris, Co Mayo, climbed to 16.9 degrees.
The advice to all from Met Eireann is not to shed the coats and umbrellas just yet. The weather is expected to remain mainly dry from now through to the bank holiday weekend, but it will become cooler and fresher, with light rain in places.
Deirdre Lowe of the weather forecasting service said a weak weather front will have moved down over the State by this morning, producing some light rain in many places. "Any rain will be light and patchy in nature . . . nothing too serious," she said.
Ms Lowe said temperatures in the Republic yesterday were higher than in many parts of France and Spain.