'A fine summer's day' due this week as temperatures to climb as high as 24C

Enjoying the sunshine at the Bell Field, Cork. Picture Dan Linehan

After recent spells of heavy rain and thunderstorm warnings, the country is set to see a return to sunny spells over the coming week.

Temperatures are set to hit highs of 24C during the next few days, with plenty of sunshine forecast.

Monday will begin quite cloudy, with some patchy rain in Connacht and Ulster in the morning, but there will be plenty of dry weather with some bright or sunny spells mainly in the east and south.

Temperatures will reach highs of 21C, and while there will be some scattered outbreaks of rain on Monday night, temperatures will not drop lower than 12C to 15C.

On Tuesday, temperatures will reach around 20C or so amid good sunny spells and just "a few coastal showers", according to Met Éireann.

Tuesday night will be mainly dry with good clear skies and a few patches of mist or fog. Temperatures will fall to lows of 7C to 10C.

Wednesday will see what Met Éireann is calling "a fine summer's day" with temperatures of 17C to 21C expected.

"It'll be dry with plenty of sunshine, though some northern coastal areas may be dull for a time," says the forecaster.

Thursday, meanwhile, will be warmer still, with a mix of cloud and spells of sunshine as temperatures reach highs of 24C. That said, it will be a little cooler along the east coast due to an onshore easterly breeze. 

Thursday night will be largely dry, though a few showers may develop in the southwest overnight. It will also be a humid night with temperatures only falling back to around 12C to 16C in light southeast winds.

Friday too looks set to be quite a warm and humid day, with further sunny spells. Highest temperatures will range from 20C to 24C with the warmest values likely in Connacht and west Ulster.