Forecaster pinpoints arrival of high pressure in Ireland amid sun hopes

Ireland looks set to welcome a much drier and warmer spell of weather in the coming weeks, according to forecasts.

Weather forecaster Cathal Nolan from Ireland's Weather Channel has said an improved weather picture is taking shape for Ireland towards the middle and end of April.

He said: "Taking a look into the weather conditions and it seems increasingly likely that we’ll encounter a much drier week, with below average rainfall, temperatures around average, but possibly becoming above average later in the week, with the driest and brightest weather across the south and southeast of the country," he said.

He added: "Looking at the ECMWF long range forecast models the most likely scenario is for low pressure to be located across Scandinavia and or Northern Europe while high pressure sits to the west of Ireland. This will allow a west to northwesterly airflow across the country, though crucially, the high is close enough that most rain bearing systems are pushed to our north. 

"Temperatures will be below or average to begin with across the country, however they will recover as the week progresses, potentially becoming above average later in the week as our winds potentially switch to a more southeasterly direction, which would begin to draw in some warmer air from Western Europe. Sunshine amounts are likely to be below average initially, with the best sunshine likely across the south to southeast.

"The big question is whether this dry trend can continue beyond the middle or end of next week. Initial indications suggest that there’s great uncertainty, with a risk the high could slip further to the north and allow more unsettled weather back across the country. However, this is speculative at the moment and further updates will be required as the week progresses. However, for now, let’s enjoy a largely positive forecast," he concluded.

Met Éireann's extended forecast says the week of April 22-28 "will bring higher than average atmospheric pressure over Ireland. This will mean that there should be below average rainfall and above average temperatures."

Between now and then, it looks like the unsettled picture is here to stay although we will enjoy flashes of sunny weather this weekend.