After a spell of September sunshine, Ireland’s weather turns autumnal this week with Met Éireann forecasting thundery and blustery showers for the coming days.
The dampener is being ushered in by a North Atlantic jet stream, and it is set to last for the foreseeable future.
Met Éireann forecaster Emer Flood said the milder, more humid weather of last week is “definitely gone now”, with this week set to be “much cooler”. The weather will be “quite unstable, which means the showers will be heavy and there will even be thunder and lightning”, she said.
“As we transition into more autumnal, seasonal weather we have cold air coming off Greenland that is moving into the north of the Atlantic. This is driving an area of low pressure to the north of us which is bringing in these really breezy conditions,” Ms Flood explained.
The rain will mostly clear eastern parts of the country this morning, paving the way for sunny spells and showers on Monday afternoon. Heavier showers in the west will become more frequent in the afternoon, with a chance of localised flooding, hail and thunderstorms. Temperatures will be cooler than last week, with highs of 11 to 15 degrees in fresh winds that are gustier in the west.
Tuesday will bring a mix of sunny spells and scattered showers, with clouds hovering in the south and southeast where showers may merge into longer spells of rain. It will be a cool day, with moderate to fresh winds allowing for highs of 11 to 14 degrees.
Wednesday morning may be the “driest and brightest” period of the week, said Ms Flood, with “good sunny spells” forecast. There is a chance of some patchy drizzle along the northwest coast, while clouds will build from the west during Wednesday afternoon and patches of light rain will occur inland as the afternoon progresses. By evening a more persistent rain will dampen the west, while the highest daily temperature could reach 15 degrees.
It will be a wet and blustery evening dominated by the winds from the Atlantic, Met Éireann predicts. By morning the heavy bursts will have been replaced by a mix of hazy sunny spells and showery patches. Heavy rain will push in from the west during the afternoon. A warmer day, Thursday will see highs of 14 to 17 degrees and moderate to fresh winds.
After a night of scattered showers, Friday morning will be sunny. Western coastal counties will get the bulk of the rain, with scattered showers expected to turn heavy or even thundery at times. Maximum temperatures will be 11 to 14 degrees.
There is no sign of the temperamental weather abating, as Met Éireann predicts a blustery and showery weekend, although some bright and sunny spells may break through.
Last week’s mild and calm weather, brought about by a tropical maritime airmass, gave way to temperatures 1.5 to 2.7 degrees above the September average.
