The dry and sunny weather in Ireland which has continued since late April is set to break this week, according to Met Éireann.
Forecaster Brandon Creagh says widespread showers and potential thunderstorms can be expected from Monday afternoon.
“There will be plenty of sun to start tomorrow, but as we head into the afternoon the high pressure system is slowly moving away, allowing some low pressure activity to develop. We could get some heavy showers developing from one o’clock onwards and those showers have the potential to turn into thunderstorms.”
The showers are set to develop in south Leinster and track across north Munster and south and west Connacht.
Mr Creagh said there will be further showers with potential for thunderstorms on Tuesday evening, with these likely to be more widespread and he warned that this may lead to some light surface water flooding.
The showers will be welcomed by Uisce Éireann, who said on Friday that water supplies were “on a knife edge” in the Greater Dublin Area as the number of areas of the State experiencing drought conditions had increased to 26.
Uisce Éireann had appealed to consumers to be mindful of their water usage, saying that “This is close to the limit of what can be sustainably produced by our water treatment infrastructure.”
Temperatures may reach up to 23 degrees on Wednesday, but it will be a little cooler in the northern coastal fringes thanks to moderate northerly breezes. More widespread showers and thundery spells are expected from that afternoon, drying up for the evening into night time.
The forecast for the coming days is for sunshine and showery spells, with temperatures remaining in the low twenties.
Thursday and Friday are expected to be drier days, with plenty of sunshine.
Heading into the weekend, it looks like a return to widespread rain showers and a drop in temperatures down to the mid teens from Sunday onwards, according to Met Éireann.
