Warm weather to continue into the weekend as thunderstorm warning issued but change expected next week

WHILE thunderstorms are expected across the country today, the heatwave is set to continue into the weekend however, a change in temperature is expected from Monday.

Met Éireann has issued a Status Yellow thunderstorm and rain warning for Ireland with lightning, hail and heavy downpours and some localised flooding expected.

The nationwide warning is in place until 8 pm this evening. 

Tonight, showers will linger early in the south and southwest but will gradually clear as the night progresses, leaving a dry night with some clear spells.

It will be another humid night with temperatures not falling below 15 and 17 degrees.

As for the rest of the weekend, Saturday seems to be the best day at the moment with sunshine for most of the day though some scattered showers are expected in the region later on.

Highest temperatures for Saturday are expected to be between 23 and 27 degrees.

A Yellow High-Temperature Warning remains in place until Saturday morning.

⚠️The Yellow High Temperature Warning is in place until Saturday morning
The Amber Heat Warning in NI is in effect until midnight tonight 👇https://t.co/7NhCA48TLr

Read all about the #heatwave and when it will end in our latest Weather News story 📰 https://t.co/BsNNFFan6v pic.twitter.com/r0cHw5Jbpu

— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) July 23, 2021

Saturday night will remain mostly dry with good clear spells and temperatures will be slightly lower, remaining between 13 and 16 degrees in light and variable breezes.

As for Sunday, sunny spells are again expected, though there will be some scattered showers developing in the afternoon.

Temperatures are set to stay warm, however, with highest temperatures of 22 to 26 degrees but feeling a little more refreshing in light to moderate northerly breezes.

It will be largely clear and dry overnight with mild temperatures generally remaining above 14 degrees.

Next week is set for a less humid start with a fair amount of cloud expected for Monday and highest temperatures typically ranging between 19 and 23 degrees.

However, the best of the sunshine will be in the south and southeast of the country.

On Monday night, temperatures are expected to drop to between 12 and 15 degrees.

As for the rest of the week, Met Éireann has said it will be rather changeable up to Wednesday with a mix of showers and dry spells.

The scorching weather may be coming to an end as temperatures are then expected to return to more average values for mid-summer.