IRELAND IS EXPERIENCING its longest drought since 2018 with no rain observed in some parts of the country for 23 days now. 

Met Éireann has said that 24 out of 25 of its weather stations are reporting ‘absolute drought’ in the surrounding areas, with Wexford, Dublin and Carlow experiencing the longest dry spells. 

Absolute drought is a period of 15 days or more with daily rain of less than 0.2mm. 

Stations in the north west are observing drought spells going on 17 days, while Cork and the South is experiencing shorter spells of 15 days. 

It is forecasted to rain next on Saturday 10 June, as low pressure is to move in from the South, but rainfall is not certain. 

The current drought is down to a stable area of blocking high pressure over and the North of Ireland. 

This has caused widespread climatological dry periods, which began in the east of Ireland at the end of May. 

We haven’t seen dry spells like this in Ireland since the summer of 2018, and the last absolute drought period was in April of last year in Galway – which lasted for sixteen days. 

Today will see the dry weather continue with lowest temperatures of 9 to 14 degrees – and there is a slight chance of showers in parts of the south west. 

Morning showers are forecasted to fall tomorrow however in the south, drifting into the west later in the day – as temperatures are to reach highs between 18 and 25 degrees.