Met Eireann has warned that there is a risk of drought conditions developing – especially in the south-east of the country – over the coming week, as soil moisture deficits increase.
As it stands, soil moisture deficits are “highly positive” through much of Leinster and Munster.
Continuing, the Irish meteorological office explained that the ground state is hard – with growth “increasingly restricted” in these areas.
At the moment, soils are trafficable in the west and north – with deficits of zero to 25mm.
With anticyclonic conditions dominating our weather for at least the next week, the deficits are only going to increase countrywide, Met Eireann stated.
Farmers in the south-east have been under increasing pressure over the past few weeks, with reports of dairy farmers already feeding silage and additional dairy nuts in order to sustain milk yields.
Meanwhile, following on from the difficult weather conditions experienced this spring – which left tillage farmers with significant backlogs of work – the lack of recent rainfall in the south-east has negatively impacted crops.
Temperatures to exceed 20º
Tonight is set to remain dry with good clear spells, with temperatures dropping to between 5º and 8º.
Dry and sunny spells are forecast to continue tomorrow, Friday. Top temperatures will range between 16º and 20º in general, but values will be slightly cooler near exposed coastal areas.
Tomorrow night will be quite cool, with similar temperatures to the previous night – in slack variable breezes. A few patches of mist may also develop in places.
Over the coming days, there will be plenty of opportunities for both drying and spraying, Met Eireann added.
Outlook
Saturday is forecast to be a dry and mild day. Sunny spells will be interrupted by cloudy periods. During the afternoon, temperatures will reach highs of 21º.
Conditions are set to remain dry and cool overnight.
Early indications suggest that the period of warm weather will extend well into next week, with temperatures edging closer to 30º at times.
It also looks as if there will be a danger of a few thundery showers midweek.