Several counties in Ireland have been placed under a weather warning as a spell of high temperatures surpasses May records, with provisional data showing readings of 29.5C on Tuesday.
Weather Warning Issued
Counties Clare, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Galway, Kilkenny, Laois, and Offaly were placed under a yellow warning from midday on Tuesday until 6pm on Wednesday. Met Eireann indicated that maximum temperatures would exceed 27C, with night-time levels above 15C expected.
The forecaster warned of water safety issues due to increased use of lakes and beaches, the possibility of forest fires, uncomfortable sleeping conditions, and heat stress.
Record-Breaking Temperatures
Met Eireann reported that its station at Shannon Airport in County Clare logged a May highest temperature of 28.6C on Monday, surpassing the previous record of 28.4C set in County Kerry in 1997. On Tuesday, these levels appeared to be surpassed in early data, with the station at Oak Park, County Carlow, recording 29.5C at 3pm, provisionally a new record.
Higher temperatures were recorded in unofficial provisional observations at Met Eireann's automatic climate stations (ACS) on both days. Clonmel ACS recorded 30.7C at 2pm on Tuesday, although these figures can take longer to verify.
Continued Hot Weather
The forecasting agency stated that the hot weather would persist into Wednesday, with top temperatures ranging from 22C to 30C, hottest in the Midwest and West.
In Northern Ireland, the highest maximum temperature on Monday of 25.8C was recorded at Derrylin, Cornahoule. Tuesday saw highest temperatures in the region of between 20C and 23C.
