Ireland prepares for hottest day of the year with temperatures over 31C forecast

Eva Osborne

Thursday is set to be the hottest day of the year so far, with Met Éireann forecasting temperatures up to 31C and beyond.

A status yellow high temperature warning has been in place since noon on Tuesday and expires at 9am on Friday.

Met Éireann said it will be hot and humid across the country today.

A Met Éireann meteorologist has said record temperatures in Ireland will be “challenged” on Thursday.

The highest temperature recorded in Ireland was 33.3C at Kilkenny Caste on June 26th, 1887.

Met Éireann meteorologist Gerry Murphy told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland: "There is potential for the record to be challenged but it’s not in any way certain that it’s going to be broken."

It will be dry with good sunshine on Thursday, but thunderstorms may develop at times in the west and northwest.

These will bring "torrential downpours", the weather forecaster said, with frequent lightning and gusty winds if they occur.

Highest tempertures will range from 25C to 31C, and possibly higher in some places.

Hottest temperaatures are expected across the midlands and in the west of the country.

Met Éireann said the hot weather increases water safety issues due to a spike in the rise of lakes and beaches.

Other impacts include uncomfortable sleeping conditions, heat stress, and the possibility of forest fires.

The hot conditions will continue on Friday, with highest temperatures expected to range from 23C to 29C.

It will continue to be warm and humid with a mixture of sunny spells and showers.

Some of the showers will be heavy and thundery, merging to longer spells of rain at times with spot flooding and frequent lightning possible, particularly across the midlands, west and north.

Met Éireann said it will be warmest across the midlands, east, and northeast, but a few degrees cooler in the northwest and near the south coast.

Additional reporting PA.