Forecast issued at: Thursday 08th May 2025 13:00
Rain
The past week has been very dry countrywide with little or no rainfall recorded. Looking at the week ahead, high pressure is continuing to dominate for a time, with very little if any rain up until Sunday. After that, the exact details are a little uncertain but some rain or showers are probable on Sunday and into next week with the chance of some heavy downpours. As a result, rainfall totals will be variable, with current indications suggesting up to 20mm of rain is likely, with the lowest values likely near the north coast.
Temperatures
The mean air temperatures for the past week were around average in most areas for this time of year, with mean values between 8.8 and 11.8 degrees. The southwest was slightly warmer than normal, while the northeast was a bit cooler than normal. Looking at the week ahead, mean air temperatures are expected to be a degree or two above normal, ranging from 11 to 14 degrees. Mean soil temperatures are well above average for this time of year, ranging from 12.1 to 15.9 degrees. This is between 3.2 and 5.8 degrees above average. Soil temperatures will stay above average over the coming week.
Sunshine
Over the past week, sunshine amounts were well above average across the country. Valentia saw the most sunshine, recording 96.6 hours, which is 244% of the average amount for this time of year. The least amount of sunshine was recorded at Casement Aerodrome, Co. Dublin with 68.7 hours recorded. Sunshine amounts are likely to be above average again for the week ahead.
Drying Conditions
Drying conditions will generally be good up to and including Saturday, but will decrease to moderate or poor in showers thereafter.
Spraying
There will be good opportunities for spraying up to and including Saturday.
Field Conditions
Well and moderately drained soils are currently trafficable and there is some restriction to growth. Currently, well and moderately drained soils have soil moisture deficits (SMDs) of between 26mm and 34mm, while poorly drained soils have SMDs of between 20mm to 29mm. There will be some showers at times over the coming week, but generally a lot of dry weather, so SMDs will increase.
Forecast maps and meteograms can be found on Blight Forecast.
