• Temperatures could reach 26°C across East Munster as high pressure builds, offering hope for better conditions ahead

After a brief taste of summer conditions last week, Cork and the wider Munster region have returned to the all-too-familiar pattern of mixed, changeable Irish summer weather. However, meteorologists are predicting a welcome return to warmer conditions this weekend, with temperatures potentially reaching 26°C in parts of East Munster.

Cathal Nolan from Ireland’s Weather Channel explained the current weather pattern:

“After a brief interlude of summer like conditions last week our weather has returned very much again towards what we would consider to be a more typical, mild, mixed and changeable Irish summer.”

The forecast brings particularly good news for Cork residents, as a northwest-southeast weather split is developing across the country. This means the best conditions throughout the week will be found in the southeast, with more overcast and wet weather affecting the northwest regions.

Wednesday, Thursday and the weekend are shaping up to be the pick of the week for outdoor activities in Cork. While conditions may be occasionally overcast, temperatures are expected to climb significantly, especially across East Munster and Leinster.

Cathal highlighted the weekend’s potential:

“One area to watch at the moment is for warmer temperatures creeping into the models for Saturday and Sunday, with highs possibly reaching up to 23 or 24 degrees, maybe even a little higher to the east of high ground in East Munster and Leinster where a Foehn effect could help temperatures reach up to 26 degrees Celsius.”

Looking beyond this week, there are encouraging signs for the remainder of summer. The latest ECMWF sub-seasonal forecast indicates a clear trend towards more settled conditions from mid-July onwards, with high pressure systems building across or northeast of Ireland.

Cathal offered hope for summer seekers:

“While seasonal forecasts remain rather difficult to produce there are signs emerging if one reads a little deeper into the sea surface temperatures across the Atlantic that we won’t see a repeat of the past two overcast and rather disappointing summers, with a higher chance of more settled conditions taking hold for the second half of the summer.”

For now, the jet stream continues to steer low pressure systems along Ireland’s northwest coast, maintaining the mixed conditions. However, Cork’s position in the southeast puts the county in the favourable zone for the best of this week’s weather.