Met Éireann is expected to issue a high temperature warning over the coming days, with highs likely to exceed 30C on Monday.
Ireland will experience a hot spell on Sunday and early next week.
Daytime temperatures will widely reach the high 20s, possibly exceeding 30C in some places.
Met Éireann said it will remain uncomfortably warm overnight.
Over the next few days, a combination of factors will direct the high temperatures seen in Europe to Ireland for a short time, according to Met Éireann operational meteorologist Paul Downes.
He said the high temperatures were caused by part of the Azores ridge extending from the southwest over Ireland for the weekend, bringing rising temperatures but still trapping warmer air in the south.
(Source: European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts)
Writing in his meteorologist’s commentary, Mr Downes said that as high pressure moves away to the east, it will also direct air from the south-east.
“The cyclonic or counter-clockwise flow of the low, working in conjunction with the anti-cyclonic flow of the high, will generate a strong surge of warm air between the two systems, thereby pushing the warm air towards Ireland, transporting the air mass that has brought the extreme temperatures in Europe, to Ireland,” he said.
A high temperature warning is currently in place, but the forecast agency expects to follow that with a warning.
Temperatures will generally range from the low to mid 20s today and tomorrow, some high clouds will make the sunshine a bit hazy at times and there is also a chance of showers.
Temperatures will climb into the upper 20s on Sunday and possibly into the upper 30s for some places on Monday.
“There’s a bit more uncertainty about Tuesday but it looks like it’s going to be another hot day and maybe just as hot if not hotter than Monday,” Mr Downs said.
People are advised to cover up, wear SPF protection, seek shade and stay hydrated.
The warmer air also brings a chance for a few thunderstorms, “especially on Tuesday.”
Overnight temperatures will also be warm and humid, with Sunday and Monday night temperatures likely not dropping below the mid-teens.
“In some areas they may not drop below 20C, which is known as a tropical night,” Mr Downes said.
The breakdown of the system is expected on Tuesday or Wednesday, with the low pressure system being managed by cooler air and wet conditions.
How to stay safe in 30C heat
In recent decades, we have seen an increase in the frequency, duration and intensity of extremely hot weather in most land regions around the world, Mr Downs said.
Human-caused climate change as a result of greenhouse gas pollution is the main driver of this increase in extreme heat.
“Although extremely hot weather occurs within natural climate variability, the types of temperature extremes we are seeing in Europe are directly influenced by climate change,” he wrote.
“June 2022 was the second warmest in Europe on record and the warmest in the US. The eight hottest Junes on record globally are in the last eight years,” he added.
Keith Lambkin, Met Éireann’s head of climate services, said: “Due to climate change, we expect heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and more intense than in the past. This increase in heat increases the chances of breaking temperature records. “
The highest temperatures ever recorded in Ireland were 33.3C at Kilkenny Castle on 26 June 1887, followed by 32.3C at Elphin, Roscommon on 19 July 2006.
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