WEEKEND WEATHER: Kilkenny to bask in late, late Indian summer

TEMPERATURES plummeted pretty dramatically last night, so you could have been forgiven for assuming the summer (what little we saw of it!) was well and truly over.

But the good, and slightly bizarre news, is that temperatures are set to see-saw in the opposite direction this weekend, with temperatures soaring to a positively balmy 20C-plus in Kilkenny tomorrow.

Met Éireann said temperatures will drop again tonight, with lows expected to range from 4C to 8C.

However, things will gradually brighten up later today, which will get increasingly warmer with highs of up to 19C. The afternoon should see a mixture of cloudy and sunny spells.

And Saturday will be the warmest day of the way, with temperatures look set to soar to 21C, which will come as very welcome news to the hundreds of thousands heading to neighbouring Carlow for the National Ploughing Championships.

The national forecaster said: “Saturday will be another dry day across the Leinster and Munster with sunny spells, but perhaps turning a little hazier later in the day.

“Top temperatures will range 16 to 21 degrees, with the highest values in the east and southeast.”

Sunday will be mostly cloudy with scattered outbreaks of rain across the country, but the forecaster admitted this forecast could soon change for the better.

Met Éireann added: “There is still some uncertainty regarding the exact position and timing of a weather front which is due to progress southwards over the country on Sunday, so the details are subject to change. Top temperatures will range from around 14 or 15 degrees in the north, possibly up to 19 or 20 degrees in sunny spells in the south.”