Forecast issued at: Sunday 28th May 2023 10:00
Rain
The past seven days were much drier than normal. Most stations recorded 1mm or less (6% of the average or less). There were a couple of stations that recorded between 25% and 50% of their respective averages: Mullingar with 4.1mm, Roches Point with 3.9mm and Cork Airport with 8.1mm. The coming week is expected to be completely dry for much of the country though the odd light shower is possible bringing perhaps 1mm in places.
Temperatures
Mean air temperatures over the past week generally ranged from 11.6 degrees at Malin Head to 14.4 degrees at Shannon Airport which is generally between 0.5 and 2.7 degrees above average. Malin Head was the only station that was cooler than the average by 0.2 degrees. Mean soil temperatures ranged from 13.6 to 18.1 degrees which is between 2.5 and 5.5 degrees above average for much of the country. The coming week will see mean air temperatures of around 12 degrees in the north (around average) to 17 degrees in the west. Most areas will be 2 or 3 degrees warmer than normal. Mean soil temperatures will increase further.
Sunshine
The past week was relatively sunny over much of the country ranging from approximately 30 hours at Malin Head (102% of normal) to 73 hours at Johnstown Castle (177% of normal). After a cloudy start today (Sunday), there will be plenty of sunshine, turning hazy at times, so sunshine amounts will be well above normal for most.
Drying Conditions
Drying conditions will be good over the coming week despite mostly light winds as there will be minimal rainfall if any, above average temperatures, and plenty of sunshine.
Spraying
Similarly, there will be good opportunities for spraying this week with little to no rainfall and mainly light winds.
Field Conditions
Soil moisture deficits (SMDs) across all soil types currently range from 20 to 35mm in the northwest to 40 to 50mm in the southeast with some restrictions to growth and with most soils trafficable. With dry, warm and largely sunny conditions over the coming week, SMDs will generally increase by 10 to 25mm, likely ranging from 30 to 50mm in the northwest to 50 to 70mm in the southeast with growth becoming increasingly restricted.
Further Comments
The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine have issued a condition orange high fire risk valid until 18:00 on Monday 29th May. Forecast maps and meteograms can be found on Blight Forecast.
