AFTER A BLAST of severely autumnal weather this week, we’re in for a brief reprieve from the wind and the rain over the next few days as summer 2013 makes a late, fleeting cameo appearance.
It’s set to hit 20 degrees in parts of the country over the weekend (admittedly, a figure we’d have sniffed at back in July, but not too shabby for late September) with Munster and south Leinster experiencing the best of the temperatures on Saturday. By Sunday, the sunshine will extend to the entire country, according to Met Éireann.
Beaches are expected to be busy, as people squeeze in one last dip before the weather cools off — but Irish Water Safety is warning that swimmers should exercise extra caution as there won’t be any lifeguards on duty this late in the season.
“The Lifeguards trained and assessed by Irish Water Safety are employed by local authorities throughout July, August and the earlier part of September in some areas,” IWS Deputy CEO Roger Sweeney told TheJournal.ie.
“People need to be particularly vigilant however, because the lifeguard season has ended and there is a danger that people may become complacent when using the same waterways at which they enjoyed the supervision of trained lifesavers during the summer hot spell.”
Sweeney is urging parents in particular to take extra care on unsupervised beaches, and said people had a tendency to “treat lifeguards as babysitters” in many Irish swimming areas.
In terms of the further weather outlook, temperatures are set to hover around the high teens into the early part of next week. It will drop back a little next Tuesday and Wednesday, but Met Éireann is still forecasting settled, sunny spells.
So let’s make the most of it.
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