The record temperature for April in Ireland was recorded on Wednesday, according to provisional Met Éireann data.
A very warm day across the State saw the previous April record of 25.8 degrees broken in Athenry, Co Galway, where a temperature of 25.9 was recorded in the provisional data. The previous record was set in Glenties, Co Donegal, in 1984.
The previous highest April temperature in the Galway town was 21.8 degrees, set in 2011.
Other areas saw their local April records broken, with highs recorded at 17 weather stations across the State.
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The temperature in Newport, Co Mayo, reached 25.7 degrees by 3.39pm. The previous highest April temperature recorded there was 23.4 degrees in 2011.
Mount Dillon, Co Roscommon, reached 25 degrees, beating the previous April record of 22.3 degrees that was only set on Tuesday. It also hit 25 degrees at Shannon Airport, overtaking the previous 23.5 degrees recorded in April there in 2003.
The temperature on Valentia Island, Co Kerry, peaked at 24.7 degrees, breaking the previous April record of 24 degrees from 1984.
“It is the warmest day of the year so far,” said Met Éireann forecaster Aoife Kealy.
The May bank holiday is set to remain dry and sunny, but the warmer air of recent days will not stretch through the weekend. While temperatures were forecast to exceed 20 degrees on Wednesday and in certain parts of the country on Thursday, Friday will be cooler and cloudier than previous days.
Dublin city residents and visitors to the capital will be unable to travel south on the Dart this bank holiday weekend, with the line between Grand Canal Dock and Greystones set to close between Saturday and Monday.
Irish Rail has announced there will be no Dart services between Grand Canal Dock and Wicklow due to engineering works.
Rosslare Intercity services will also operate a bus transfer between Bray and Connolly.
Dublin Bus and Go-Ahead Ireland will be accepting train tickets for those affected by the closure, with the former following a Sunday service with no Nitelink in service on Sunday.
Thursday will be a cool day in the north of the country while warmer conditions will continue in southern regions, said Met Éireann. It will feel much cooler in Connaught and Ulster with highest temperatures ranging between 12 and 17 degrees, with light to moderate northerly winds. Temperatures in Leinster and Munster, however, will range between 18 and 23 or 24 degrees.
There will be some bright and sunny spells on Friday, with highest temperatures reaching 17 or 18 degrees and just a few light showers. Temperatures will drop to four degrees in parts of the country overnight on Friday.
Saturday is due to begin as dry and bright but cloudier conditions will spread over the country through the morning and afternoon, bringing light rain and drizzle. Temperatures will range between 13 to 17 degrees during the day, dropping to between four and eight degrees on Saturday night.
Sunday is forecast to be dry and bright, with a chance of some isolated showers in the east of the country and highest temperatures reaching 18 or 19 degrees. That night will be cold, with lowest temperatures dropping to one degree in parts of the country.
The Monday bank holiday will enjoy good spells of sunshine with temperatures ranging between 13 and 18 or 19 degrees .
Traffic across most Irish roads is expected to increase significantly on Friday afternoon and Monday evening, with hundreds of thousands of motorists heading towards coastal and holiday towns, said an AA spokesman. Drivers are advised to plan ahead, allow extra time for their journey, slow down and avoid distractions when driving, he said.
