Phenomenon behind fine weather could last "2-3 months" as scorching summer ahead
Bosses at Met Éireann have promised the record-breaking sunshine will 'stick around for at least another week' and could stay all summer long.
With 25C again forecast for tomorrow, they revealed that the warm temperatures also look set to stay for the rest of the summer and that June, July, August will all have 'above average temperatures'.
New figures released today by Met Éireann showed that a third of its weather stations have this month already recorded drought conditions and a quarter are seeing their warmest spring on record.
More than half of all the stations have had their highest ever mean maximum temperatures for spring and the majority of all stations have had more sunshine in the first two weeks of May this year than all of May 2024.
Temperatures on Saturday and Sunday are forecast to reach 25C, Monday is due to be 23C, and the following days' temperatures are set for the 'mid-teens to low 20s', according to the national weather service.
Met Éireann climatologist Paul Moore today explained that the recent weather is all because of the Omega Block weather pattern. The Omega Block emerges when the North Atlantic jet stream is weak and this happens when a weather phenomenon called the Stratospheric Polar Vortex breaks down early after a cold winter. It normally breaks down in mid-April, but this year it happened a week before St Patrick's Day.
Met Eireann's Moore said: 'The influence of the breakdown of the Stratospheric Polar Vortex on the troposphere can last for two to three months.' He added that it causes 'high pressure [systems] to re-establish over and over again' and for this summer it means 'June, July, and August, has a strong signal for higher than average temperatures for Ireland during the summer months'.
Paul said: 'The current spell of fine weather is due to a blocking area of high pressure over and just to the north of Ireland. This particular type of blocking pattern is called an Omega Block because the jet stream makes a pattern that resembles the Greek letter omega.'
He added: 'It can be a stable blocking pattern which lasts for an extended period of time and is quite common on the eastern edges of the North Atlantic and North Pacific.'
As a result of the recent hot spell, Irish Water is warning households to conserve water to prevent more hosepipe bans.
A spokesperson told the Irish Mirror: 'Uisce Eireann is appealing to everyone to be mindful of their use of water as the warm dry spell looks set to continue through the weekend and into next week. This appeal comes as 22 supplies around the country are officially in drought status.'
Hosepipe bans are threatened with three counties – Donegal, Meath, and Westmeath – already under Water Conservation Orders until June 16 and restrictions are in place on Galway's Inis Oirr island.
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