LAST UPDATE | 16 Jul 2021

TODAY HAS BEEN the hottest day of the year so far, Met Éireann says, with temperatures reaching 27.1 degrees at Mount Dillon in Roscommon.

This beats Phoenix Park’s previous record of 25.6 degrees on Tuesday.

This sunshine and heat are only set to continue across the weekend, with expected highs of 27 degrees.

The high temperatures will stick around for the start of next week until Thursday, when a possible change in conditions may bring showers.

Met Éireann says that high pressure building above Ireland from the Azores High will bring dry, very warm and mostly sunny weather nationwide.   

Tomorrow morning will see the heatwave hit. Dublin, Clare, Cork and the Midlands will all reach temperatures of over 25 degrees, while there is a small chance of a light shower in the southwest later in the day.

Long spells of sunshine are also expected on Sunday, with highs of between 23 to 27 degrees across most of the country, but not as warm in the north with highs there of 19 to 22 degrees. 

Monday will continue the trend with temperatures remaining between 22 to 26 degrees, with light easterly breezes keeping northern and eastern coasts slightly cooler. 

It will be very warm again on Tuesday, with Met Éireann predicting a change to the hot weather after Wednesday. 

With so much sunshine expected, it’s important that you stock up on suncream now. The Irish Skin Foundation recommends applying a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30+ around 20 minutes before going out in the sun. 

With additional reporting from Niamh Quinlan.