Forecast issued at: Thursday 07th May 2026 14:00
Rain
Rainfall amounts for the last seven days were variable across the country. It was wetter than normal in parts of Munster and Connacht but drier than average elsewhere, especially in the east. Casement Aerodrome, Co. Dublin recorded just 0.1mm over the past seven days (1% of its average) while Cork Airport recorded the most with 54.4mm (297% of its average). The coming week will see rain and showers at times but accumulations for each day will generally be small. Rainfall amounts will generally be no more than 15mm in total which equates to between 25 and 80% of the average for the time of year.
Temperatures
Mean air temperatures over the past week have been above average across the country, ranging from 10.3 degrees at Knock/Ireland West Airport, Co. Mayo to 12 degrees at Shannon Airport, Co. Clare. This equates to between 0.4 and 1.4 degrees above normal. Mean soil temperatures ranged between 10.9 to 14 degrees which is between 2.1 and 3.9 degrees warmer than normal. The coming week will be cooler than average generally by 1 or 2 degrees for most. Mean soil temperatures will decrease but will remain above normal.
Sunshine
Sunshine amounts were variable over the country. In parts of of the east and north, amounts were close to normal with Malin Head, Co. Donegal recording the most with 40.6 hours. Elsewhere, it was duller than usual, especially in the south, with between 20 and 80% of the average recorded. Cork Airport recorded the least with just 8.6 hours. While there will be sunny spells, overall there will be a fair amount of cloud over the coming week, with sunshine amounts likely to come in below normal.
Drying Conditions
With often light winds and cooler than average temperatures, drying conditions will often be moderate, occasionally poor in limited precipitation. However, there still be will some better opportunities, particularly on Saturday away from the south.
Spraying
There will be good opportunities for spraying at times away from occasional precipitation. The best opportunities will be Sunday.
Field Conditions
Soil moisture deficits (SMDs) for most soils generally range between 10mm and 45mm, with the largest deficits in the east. However, well and moderately drained soils near some southern coasts have SMDs of around 1 to 5mm, while poorly drained soils there are saturated. Over the coming week, SMDs will generally not change by more than 5mm. However, there will be a larger increase in SMDs in the wettest soils in the south.
