Heatwave to end as Bank Holiday weekend brings cooler, unsettled weather
Vivienne Clarke
Wednesday is the last day of the really hot weather, says Met Éireann forecaster Gerry Murphy.
Over the next 24 hours, the airflow will change gradually so our weather will once again, as normal, come more from the west as we go towards the end of the week, and that will mean that there will be a drop in temperature, with levels dropping to normal May levels for the bank holiday weekend of high teens and low twenties.
Speaking on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, Murphy said that the weather over the weekend will be “typical Irish weather”, which would mean a mix of sunshine, clouds and some rain.
Temperatures will remain high on Wednesday, possibly getting up to 30 degrees in some areas. However, there is also the threat of showers, some of which could be thunder showers.
Thursday will be cloudier with the possibility of some showers in the south and west, Friday could be dry, but then rain will move in again on Saturday with a few showers on Sunday and more rain on bank holiday Monday.
“After Wednesday, we’re back to what we'd see as a typical mix of Irish weather, not as warm. “
Murphy added that it was not unusual to have “a decent spell of weather” in the month of May. But it was unusual for it to be so hot so early in the summer. With climate change, there was a likelihood of more intense heat events
With the continuing high temperatures on Wednesday, the public is being warned to stay safe when near water.
Linda Jean Byrne, RNLI water safety lead, told Morning Ireland that while temperatures on land may be high, water temperatures are still very cold.
“It hasn't had time to heat up as yet. So while we might be very, very hot Wednesday, when we hit that water, there's a very good chance of cold water shock hitting us if we hit the water too quickly.
“When you have water underneath 15 degrees, which would be well below at the moment, if you hit the water, as in if you jump straight into the water, or if you accidentally fall in the water, you have a good chance of this affecting you.
“And what happens is you get that involuntary kind of panic and a loss of breathing control as your body gets a sudden shock of that cold water hitting it.”
Byrne advised anyone who gets into difficulty to “float to live”, which was to stay calm and fight any instinct to trash around. The best thing to do was to float, try to relax and try to breathe slowly.
“Once you've regained control of your breathing, you can call for help by raising your hand, raising one of your hands while you're still floating with the other hand and call for help.”
For anyone witnessing an incident where someone is in difficulty, the first thing they should do is phone 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard, before attempting any rescue themselves.
“The operator will dispatch any emergency assets that are needed.
"The emergency response units would much prefer to get the call and be on the way. And if everything resolves itself and they're not needed, they're happy to stand down, but have those emergency services on the way.
"Second of all is a shout-out to the person to stay calm. And again, give them those instructions to float so that they know what to do.
“Thirdly, if there's anything near you, any rescue equipment like a buoyancy aid, a towel bag, anything, a long pole, anything that you have near you that you might be able to reach out and get that person while you're still staying in safety on the beach or on the river bank or lake bank.”
