Temperatures will reach 18C in Ireland on Wednesday as the country basks in the hottest week of the year so far.
The sun is shining countrywide and the mercury will rise close to the 20s in many parts of Ireland over the next 48 hours.
The mini-heatwave is unprecedented in March with forecasters explaining that we'd usually experience temperatures slightly above 10C at this time of year.
Met Éireann meteorologist, Aoife Kealy, said: “The dry and bright weather that we’ve had over the past few days won’t be going anywhere this week. High pressure is going to stay very firmly in charge so we can generally expect plenty of sunshine and little or no rain.
“Some very weak fronts will drift into western and northern areas later this week so it’ll be a bit cloudier there at times with a few spots of drizzle but any accumulations will be small. So, even though it won’t be wall-to-wall sunshine, it will be very pleasant still.”
Daytime temperatures will be on the mild side for March and at night temperatures will drop into the low single figures, so a few patches of grass frost are still possible, especially when the skies are clear.
Aoife added: “It’s the daytime temperatures that are notable though. The average maximum temperatures for this time of year are around 11 or 12 degrees, but the combination of a relatively mild airmass and good spells of sunshine mean that top temperatures this week will widely get into the mid-teens, even hitting the high teens at times.”
Wednesday will see the 18C temperatures with 17C expected again on Thursday, but how warm will it be in your area?
Local breakdown of Met Eireann forecast
Dublin
Wednesday will be dry with long spells of hazy sunshine. Highest temperatures of 13 to 17 degrees, warmest in sunshine away from the coast. Light southeasterly winds.
Thursday will be dry with good sunshine and just light southerly breezes. Highest temperatures of 15 to 17 degrees.
Ulster
Wednesday will be mostly dry with spells of hazy sunshine. There will be well scattered showers later today in west Ulster. Some coastal fog is possible in parts too. Highest temperatures of 14 to 17 degrees, warmest in sunshine away from eastern coasts of Ulster. Light southeasterly winds.
Thursday will be a cloudier day with some drizzle possible at times. Otherwise it will be dry with just light southerly winds. Some sunny or bright spells will break through later in the day, best of which over the eastern half of Ulster. Highest temperatures ranging 11 to 16 degrees, coolest under cloudier conditions near the Atlantic and warmest in east Ulster.
Munster
Wednesday will be mostly dry with long spells of hazy sunshine. Isolated showers may develop in north Munster later in the day. Some coastal mist or fog is possible in parts too. Highest temperatures of 13 to 17 or 18 degrees, warmest in sunshine across north Munster. Light southeasterly winds.
Thursday will be cloudy at times across western Munster with the chance of some drizzle. Mainly dry though, with good sunshine away from Atlantic coasts and just light southerly breezes. There may be some coastal fog. Highest temperatures of 14 to 17 degrees, warmest away from the coast.
Leinster
Wednesday will be mainly dry with long spells of hazy sunshine. There may be one or two showers drifting into northwestern Leinster later in the day. Highest temperatures of 13 to 17 or 18 degrees, warmest in sunshine in the midlands. Light southeasterly winds.
Thursday will be dry with good sunshine. Cloudier for a time in the morning however towards the north and midlands. There may be some coastal fog in parts also. Highest temperatures of 14 to 17 degrees, warmest in sunshine, with just light southerly breezes.
Connacht
Wednesday will be dry in most areas with spells of hazy sunshine. There will be well-scattered showers later today. Highest temperatures of 15 to 18 degrees, warmest away from the coast. Light southeasterly winds.
Mainly dry with sunny spells. Daytime temperatures continuing well above the March average, but rather cold at night with a touch of grass frost possible.
