Temperatures 'to exceed 30 degrees' in Midlands as heatwave intensifies

The current heatwave is likely to peak tomorrow and Thursday, with Met Eireann indicating that temperatures could exceed 30 degrees Celsius in some parts of the Midlands.

Offaly is under a status yellow 'high temperature warning' from 1pm today (Tuesday) as very hot daytime conditions, and very warm and humid nights, are set to persist for another few days.

Between now and Friday, daytime maximum temperatures generally will be 27 to 30 degrees Celsius, with overnight values not falling below 17 to 20 degrees.

An orange-level warning for even higher temperatures has been issued for six counties, including Westmeath, Roscommon and Longford.

To put these sweltering conditions in context, the highest temperature anywhere in Ireland during 2020 was the 27.1 degrees recorded in Newport, County Mayo, on June 1 that year.

That temperature has frequently been exceeded over recent days, with the Met Eireann station in Gurteen clocking a high of 29 degrees on Monday, while 28 degrees was recorded at its station in Mullingar.

Tomorrow (Wednesday)appears likely to be the hottest day of the week. Thursday will be another very hot day, with the 'high temperature' warnings remaining in effect until 9am on Friday.

Friday itself will be "very warm" but temperatures will be "a few degrees lower than previous days" according to Met Eireann.

There will be a slight reprieve over the weekend, with temperatures that will be "less warm than earlier in the week," though still above normal and ranging between 20 to 25 degrees.