Deirdre O Meara 
As the people of Cork wake up to grey skies and cooler temperatures, they can take solace in the fact that the long-term weather forecast is looking up. After enjoying a scorching few days of blue skies and golden sunshine, temperatures have plummeted to around 11C, almost half of yesterday’s peak. Tonight looks set to be fairly chilly with lows of 4C across Munster.
Despite a few outbreaks of rain predicted throughout the day, conditions are expected to dry up as we enter the afternoon. Cloud cover is due to briefly dissipate in the late evening, leaving us with an hour or two of clear skies and sunshine before the sun drops down over the horizon.
The good news is that temperatures will slowly rise throughout the week, with long-range weather forecasts predicting an absolute scorcher next weekend with highs of 25C. While it’s not a sure thing, fingers crossed we’ll enjoy another sunny weekend here in Cork as we inch towards June!
Today’s forecast for Munster predicts mostly cloudy and damp conditions to begin with patchy rain and drizzle. However, it should become drier from the afternoon with limited sunny spells and scattered light showers developing. Longer spells of sunshine are expected to develop this evening. Temperatures are expected to be cool with highest temperatures of 11 to 14 degrees in moderate, occasionally fresh, northwest winds.
Tonight is expected to be generally dry with long clear spells. Lowest temperatures of 4 to 7 degrees are predicted in light to moderate west to northwest winds.
Tomorrow is expected to start mostly dry and bright, with cloud building through the afternoon and just isolated showers breaking out. This will be followed by long spells of evening sunshine. Temperatures are expected to remain cool with highest temperatures of 11 to 14 degrees in moderate northwest winds.
While the weather may be unpredictable at times, it’s always good to have a positive outlook. With summer just around the corner, let’s hope for more sunny days ahead.
