Will Hurricane Ernesto impact Ireland? And will there be rain for Electric Picnic?

Thu, 15 Aug, 2024 - 10:35

Imasha Costa

Hurricane Ernesto is currently sweeping through the Caribbean dropping torrential rain on Puerto Rico and knocking out power for nearly half of all customers in the US territory

Ernesto, the fifth named storm of this year's Atlantic hurricane season, is expected to become a major Category 3 storm in the coming days with the US National Hurricane Center saying hurricane conditions are "possible" in Bermuda on Saturday.

It is expected to track northeast, but will any of the lingering impacts of Ernesto be felt in Ireland? According to Met Éireann, it's unlikely.

"By the time [Ernesto] gets anywhere near the vicinity of Ireland, the models are flipping between whether it's almost decayed completely or is it just a normal enough low-pressure system," Met Éireann forecaster Andrew Doran-Sherlock told the Irish Examiner.

"So the most likely effect that we'll see out of it is it might bring in a spell of mild and wet air." He added that Ireland would most likely see the remnants of Ernesto later next week.

"We are not seeing any indications of major impacts," he added. "It might be nothing, we might see nothing or it could be a wet day."

Elsewhere, heading into the weekend, the opening day of Electric Picnic on Friday will be mostly dry with sunny spells. There is the chance of isolated showers in the west and northwest with temperatures reaching highs of 21C.

It should stay dry into the night with a mix of cloud and clear spells, however, temperatures are expected to drop as low as 8C.

Ernesto intensifies into a hurricane and is on a path towards Bermuda

Saturday will become "cloudier through the morning as scattered light showers extend over much of the country," according to Met Éireann.

"Driest in the east and south for the afternoon with the best of any sunny spells. Better sunny spells will develop for the evening with just isolated showers," the forecaster said. Temperatures will reach highs of 20C.

"A few light showers will continue in the north and for Atlantic coastal areas" on Saturday night but it will otherwise be a dry night with a mix of cloud and clear spells.

Sunday will see more cloud and sunny spells before more scattered showers develop.

Spells of sunshine are expected on Sunday evening before it turns cloudier on Sunday night with some light rain and drizzle expected in the west and southwest.

The forecaster's outlook into next week says "our weather will continue to be mixed with further spells of rain or showers at times, interspaced with some drier intervals".

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