Hottest day of the year so far as mercury hits 24C in Dublin

Members of the public enjoying the sun shine on the hottest day of the year so far. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

Friday was the hottest day of the year so far, Met Éireann has confirmed.

The forecaster says its weather station in Dublin's Phoenix Park recorded a temperature of 24C this afternoon, while its station in Mount Dillon, Co Roscommon, recorded a temperature of 23.7C.

And Saturday looks set to be another warm and dry day, with early patches of mist and fog giving way to some "good spells of sunshine" and temperatures of up to 22C by the afternoon. 

Kite Surfers at Dollymount strand, Dublin enjoying the sunny weather on Friday. Picture: Sam Boal/Collins Photos

Earlier on Friday, due to the current weather patterns, the Department of Agriculture said there was a high fire risk in all areas where hazardous fuels such as dead grasses and shrubs such as heather and gorse exist.

All landowners are also being urged to obey restrictions in place for land burning, while forest owners and managers are being advised to prepare for likely outbreaks of fire

"Forest owners, farmers, rural dwellers and other countryside users are asked to be extremely vigilant regarding fire activity, to report any suspicious or illegal activity to the gardaí and to report all fires immediately," the department said. 

"Members of the public and visitors to forests and other recreational areas should cooperate with all requests regarding fire safety, obey all relevant bye-laws and should not use barbecues or other outdoor fire sources in amenity areas. 

"Visitors to the countryside should be considerate in parking vehicles so as not to impede access by emergency vehicles."

The warning is in place until 12pm on Monday. 

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has also issued a warning to drivers urging them to be cautious as “summertime is the most dangerous time of the year” on the roads. 

The RSA said that in fine weather and brighter days, drivers drop their guard when there are no obvious dangers.

“There is a spike in pedestrian, cyclist and motorcyclist casualties over the summer. The fine weather brings more people out and about,” a spokesperson for the RSA said.

“As drivers, we need to be on the lookout for them. Slow down and expect the unexpected.” 

The warning comes as 73 people have died on Irish roads this year, 17 more than at the same time last year. 

Saturday night to Tuesday forecast

While Saturday is forecast to be warm and sunny day, conditions will worsen from the evening, as clouds begin to develop in the west giving way to some showers in the northwest. 

Showers will continue to develop overnight, mainly over the western half of the country, with temperatures dropping as low as 9C. 

Sunday will see a turn in the weather, with a mix of clouds, sunny spells, showers, or heavy spells of rain and isolated thunderstorms all possible.

Daytime temperatures of between 15C to 19C are expected before they drop as low as 8C in the evening. 

The showers should die out on Sunday night, but rain will move in from the southwest by Monday morning. 

Looking into next week, Monday will see further outbreaks of rain or showers which will be heaviest over the eastern half of the country. Met Éireann says there is a chance of thunderstorms and there will be further showers into the night.

Tuesday will see more "persistent or heavy" rain with localised flooding possible, especially in Leinster. Daytime temperatures are set to drop to between 11C and 14C on Tuesday.