LAST UPDATE | 22 Jul 2021

IRELAND’S HEATWAVE HIT an exceptional milestone last night when the first ‘tropical night’ for 20 years was recorded.

A tropical night is a term used when the temperature does not fall under 20 degrees Celsius during the night time. 

Met Éireann announced today that Valentia Observatory in Kerry did not record a temperature below 20.5 degrees Celsius last night, meaning the criteria was comfortably met.

Tropical nights are rare in Ireland, with only six recorded throughout the span of the digital record.

The UK has experienced an increase in tropical nights in recent years, with its Met Office saying the uptick is consistent with warming driven by human activities.

In Northern Ireland, temperatures have for the third time in a weak exceeded the highest on record.

A location in Armagh reached 31.2 degrees Celsius at 3.20pm today, increasing on yesterday’s peak of 31.3. 

The hottest temperature of the year was also recorded in the Republic, with the mercury hitting 31.2 degrees Celsius at Durrow Automatic Climate Station in Co Laois.

High temperature warnings remain in place across the country while temperatures were said to be slightly lower along the eastern and southern coasts.

The ongoing heatwave means that the Status Yellow high temperature weather warning for the entire country has been extended. It was due to expire on Friday evening but will now be in place until 9am on Saturday. 

The Status Orange weather warning also for Cavan, Monaghan, south Leitrim, Roscommon, Longford, Westmeath and will lift at 9am Friday and will revert to a Yellow warning as with the rest of the country. 

Tonight is set to be warm and muggy and will be “uncomfortable for some” as temperatures remain above 17 or 18 degrees until tomorrow morning.

In areas where the Orange warning is in place, maximum temperatures could reach 30 degrees Celsius in places and overnight temperatures will drop no lower than around 20 degrees.

Yesterday was previously the hottest day of the year, with Mount Dillon weather observing station in Roscommon recording 30.8 degrees Celsius. 

The all-time highest temperature record was provisionally broken in Northern Ireland, with Castlederg in Tyrone recording 31.3 degrees. 

The previous record was only set last Saturday when temperatures reached 31.2 degrees in Co Down.

With reporting by Céimin Burke and Orla Dwyer