Forecast issued at: Friday 27th January 2023 13:00
Rain
Conditions have been drier than normal over the past week. Parts of the far south and west recorded 20 to 30mm which is close to average, but most areas recorded less than 10mm, with less than 5mm across much of the east and midlands. The very northwest will see typical rainfall over the next seven days of around 20 to 25mm, but most of the country will continue to have below normal rainfall. 10 to 15mm will likely fall in western parts, around 30 to 50% the norm, but most areas will receive less than 5mm, of less than a quarter of the norm.
Temperatures
Mean air temperatures have ranged 6 to 8 degrees, a degree higher than normal for the past seven days. Soil temperatures trend two degrees higher than normal for most areas, ranging 5 to 8 degrees. Temperatures will trend 2 degrees milder than average over the next seven days, with mean air temperatures ranging 6 degrees in the northeast to 10 degrees in the southwest. No hard frosts are expected. Soil temperatures will remain similar to current values.
Sunshine
Sunshine amounts have varied greatly upon location over the past week. Conditions were sunnier than normal in north Donegal, and in county Dublin. Over 18hours of sunshine were recorded in Dublin Airport. There was little sunshine elsewhere, generally less than 5 hours. Cork city had less than an hour of sunshine over the past week. Sunshine hours will be below average across most of the country this week.
Drying Conditions
With little wind and mostly cloudy conditions, there will be little drying over the coming days. There will be moderate drying on Sunday (away from the north and west) and on Monday in breezier conditions.
Spraying
There will be opportunities for spraying on Saturday, although there will be patchy light rain or drizzle. Increased wind speeds will limit spraying opportunities on Sunday. There will be some opportunities on Monday where winds are lighter, mainly in the south and east.
Field Conditions
Soils are saturated nationwide, with most poorly drained soils waterlogged. There will be little change to soil conditions during the week, although some soils in the south and east may improve somewhat.
