Get out the umbrellas – Ireland’s heatwave is over after temperatures topped the Bahamas all across the country.
The bad news has been delivered by the Irish government’s weather service Met Eireann.
They made the official announcements as clouds returned to many parts of the country with rain forecast for later in the week.
Warm weather will continue with occasional sunny spells but the rain will be welcomed by many after a drought was officially declared last week.
The Irish Independent reports that the longest spell of hot weather since 1995, when temperatures went close to 90 degrees Fahrenheit in places.
Clouds move in across most of the country, bringing down temperatures, although they will still be in the 70s.
The report says the Met Eireann weather station at Shannon Airport was hotter than Freeport in the Bahamas at 85 degrees on Saturday, but such unusual highs are unlikely to happen again in the foreseeable future.
Met Eireann forecaster David Rogers said: “The heatwave is officially over but it’s not necessarily bad news.
“It will still remain moderately warm - in the high teens to low to mid-70s - for the coming week.
“It will remain relatively mild at night.”
Rogers explained that the high pressure system that had kept Ireland basking in sunshine for the past two weeks is being nudged out by a lowering of pressure over the Atlantic.
Clouds will move in this week lowering overall temperatures across the country.
He added: “It won’t be completely cloudy and there will be some warmer temperatures during sunny breaks, but it won’t be anywhere near what it has been.”
Thunderstorms and isolated scattered showers are also expected to roll into the west and spread to the northwest on Monday.
The report said moist humid air is also expected to bring more thunderstorms and scattered showers by midweek, but when and where they will hit is unclear.
Rogers said: “It’s impossible to say where or when or if it will happen.
“But there will be a lot more variability with cloudy conditions and sporadic showers.”
The rain will bring an end to the official drought after three weeks without a downpour.
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