Met Éireann has forecast persistent rainfall across the country in the upcoming days. Though Saturday promises to be overcast with intermittent showers, the southern and eastern parts of the country should experience bright sunny spells between periods of dryness.
According to the forecast, the following week will bring breezy conditions with low-pressure areas instigating occasional rain or showers. The prediction for Sunday comprises mostly dry weather with a combination of occasional sunshine and cloud cover, albeit with a few scattered showers.
The brighter weather is expected to gradually disseminate from the southern counties, with the temperature spectrum speculated to range between 16 to 21 degrees. The North and West will witness the chillier part of the range, with predominantly moderate westerly wind conditions. Although there is ambiguity regarding details for the following week, preliminary forecasts indicate increasing wind speeds and advancing rain spells, involving occasional heavy downpours and possible flooding.
The outlook for Tuesday suggests cool and breezy conditions with showers, especially frequent across Ulster and Connacht.
In related news, there has been a marked increase in swimming warnings along the Irish coast due to declining water quality caused by heavy rainfall, sewage issues, and other factors. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued no-swim notices on beaches.ie, some of which are due to poor water quality during the bathing season and some temporary due to recent weather disturbances.
Last week, Met Éireann initiated numerous weather warnings, including a status orange rainfall warning for Donegal, Sligo, and Leitrim till Sunday, along with a yellow rainfall warning for several other counties.
Co Donegal’s Bundoran beach, normally commended for its excellent bathing water quality, had swim restrictions imposed since the previous Monday till Thursday due to heavy rainfall. The EPA flagged the risk of water quality degradation and potential contamination as a consequence of the heavy rainfall.
Other beaches, such as Killiney in Co Dublin, received warnings due to potential quality degradation following an assumed emergency sewage overflow. Some beaches, like Carrowniskey, Louisburgh in Co Mayo, have an ongoing warning for below par bathing water quality since late May, expected to last till mid-September.