Deirdre O Meara 
Met Eireann has issued a warning for potential thundery showers and spot flooding today, with temperatures expected to rise in the coming days in Ireland as a possible knock-on-effect of Spain’s heatwave. This morning will be mostly cloudy, but the weather will quickly break up to leave a mix of sunny spells and scattered showers later in the day. Some of the showers may turn heavy or possibly thundery in the afternoon, bringing with them the risk of spot flooding and hail. The highest temperatures will be between 16 and 17 degrees, with light to moderate westerly winds. The pollen count remains high today, although it is expected to ebb from Monday.
Met Eireann says the next few days will bring a mixed bag of weather to Ireland, with thunderstorms, hail, heavy downpours, and fog all forecast in-between sunny spells. An early taste of summer may also be on the cards with a surge in temperatures and more settled conditions. In Spain, temperatures reached a sweltering 38.7C this week due to an African plume bringing dry air across the Iberian peninsula and the Balearic islands. According to long-range weather maps, warmer air could move up through France and may even touch Ireland next week. While Met Eireann has ruled out a mini heatwave for Ireland, it has said that there will be “a lot of dry and mild weather next week”. It said that “mean air temperatures will be above average for early May by 2C or 3C with frost-free conditions expected too. Overall next week, it will likely be drier than normal for most if not all areas.”
Here’s the forecast for the coming days:
Sunday night: Showers will continue overnight but they will be lighter and mixed with clear spells. Lowest temperatures of 9 or 10 degrees in mostly moderate west to northwest winds.
Monday: Early morning showers will quickly die away on Monday morning, leaving a mostly dry day with a mix of cloud and hazy sunny spells. The highest temperatures will be around 15 or 16 degrees in light to moderate northwest winds.
Monday night: Mostly dry with clear spells, some mist and fog will form as winds fall light variable or calm. It will be a chiller night with lows of 2 to 6 for the northern half of the country, generally holding between 7 and 9 degrees further south.
Tuesday: Hazy sunshine in the morning; however, cloud will increase from the southwest through the afternoon. Dry in most areas with just the chance of a few stray patches of drizzle near western coasts later. Mild with highs of 14 to 18 degrees, in mostly light south to southeast winds.
Wednesday: Quite dull on Wednesday with some patchy light rain or drizzle mostly in Connacht and Ulster. Temperatures dropping back to between 11 to 15 degrees, coolest along eastern coasts in moderate to occasionally fresh southeast winds.
In summary, the weather in Ireland will be a mixed bag for the next few days, with the possibility of thunderstorms, hail, heavy downpours, and fog in-between sunny spells. While there is a chance of thundery showers and spot flooding today, the weather is expected to improve from Monday, with a lot of dry and mild weather expected next week. The highest temperatures will be between 16 and 17 degrees today, but it may rise up to 2C or 3C above average for early May next week. The pollen count remains high today, but it will ebb from Monday.
