Thunderstorm warnings are in place for several counties across Ireland as the island continues to experience sweltering conditions. The warnings cover all of Northern Ireland and 16 counties in the Republic of Ireland, with the national weather agency Met Éireann issuing a yellow-level alert that began on Friday.
Warning Details and Timings
Met Éireann's yellow thunderstorm warning is active for 16 counties. It expires at 6pm for counties Clare, Tipperary, Kildare, Laois, Meath, Offaly, and Westmeath. For counties Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Longford, and the five counties in Connacht (Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo), the warning remains in place until 10pm. The Met Office has also issued a yellow-level thunderstorm warning for all of Northern Ireland from 10am until 10pm, advising that scattered thunderstorms "may cause disruption in places" on Friday.
Risks and Impacts
Met Éireann warned of potential localised flooding, "hail damage", difficult driving conditions, and very gusty winds. It also cautioned that there could be damage to power, water, gas, and telecommunication utilities. The continued high temperatures mean parts of Ireland may officially meet the definition of a heatwave by Friday, after experiencing five consecutive summer days above 25°C.
Temperature Records
Temperatures in the Republic of Ireland exceeded 31°C on Thursday, but the all-time record of 33.3°C was not surpassed. However, provisional local records were set at several locations: Athenry recorded 31.7°C, Mace Head 30.4°C, Claremorris 30.7°C, and Knock Airport 29°C. The highest temperature ever recorded in the Republic of Ireland remains 33.3°C at Kilkenny Castle on June 26, 1887. Northern Ireland's record temperature is 31.3°C, set on July 21, 2021, at Castlederg, County Tyrone.
Heatwave Conditions
A status yellow high temperature warning has been in place since noon on Tuesday and has been extended until 9am on Saturday by Met Éireann. The hot weather is attributed to a plume of extremely hot air that brought temperatures exceeding 40°C to parts of Europe earlier this week and drifted towards Ireland.
