Ireland Heat Spell Forecast to End Before Breaking 1976 Record

The Republic of Ireland is on course to record its longest heatwave since 1976, The BBC reported. Moore Park in County Cork has already logged 12 consecutive days of 25C or above through Thursday and is forecast to reach that threshold again on Friday. A heatwave in the Republic is defined as five or more consecutive days at or above 25C at a single weather station.

In 1976, Birr Castle in County Offaly and Ballybrittas in County Laois each recorded 14 such days. Northern Ireland has seen five consecutive days at or above 25C at Castlederg through Thursday. Cooler air is forecast there on Friday, keeping the spell short of the regional record of 13 days set in both 1976 and 1995.

Temperatures across the island are expected to fall below the heatwave threshold over the weekend of July 18-19 as northerly winds arrive. Apart from a possible localized shower, no rain is forecast until at least the middle of the following week. The UK Met Office stated that planetary warming will produce more extreme weather events including heatwaves.

Met Éireann said heatwaves have become more frequent and intense globally since the 1950s, with human-caused climate change as the main driver.