Sun-worshippers lapped up the spring rays today as the mercury soared to 16C – hotter than Barcelona, Madrid and Benidorm.
There was dry weather across the country with the best sunshine along the west coast as people were out in force in parks and beaches.
The west and mid-west enjoyed the best temperatures again on Thursday as temperatures surpassed Barcelona on 15C, Madrid on 14C and Benidorm on 15C.
But, a change is on the way and the outlook for the weekend will be unsettled across the country - with only Leinster predicted to get some occasional sunshine on Friday.
Met Eireann forecaster Michelle Dillo, who revealed that on a brighter note we can look forward to temperatures climbing back up to a Mediterranean-like 17C by Wednesday, said: “Friday wil be a cloudier day overall and I suppose the most notable change will be in the west because they’ve been used to the nice higher temperatures.
“The temperatures will range from 9C to 12C so it will be cooler and the best iof any sunshine will be in eastern parts of the county.
“But it will be a cloudier day especially for north Munster, west Connacht and in the northwest.
“There will be a little bit of rain in parts of Mayo, Galway and west Ulster.
“Other than that it will be mainly dry but a cloudier day overall.”
Ms Dillon said conditions are expected to be wetter during the weekend.
She added: “There will be a bit of a change again on Saturday and there will be rain in western parts but it should hold dry in the east for much of the day.
“However, there will be rain spreading gradually across the country .
“So, really the story for the weekend is that while you might have a little sunshine in eastern parts it will be mostly cloudy with rain in western parts such as Connacht, parts of Munster and Ulster on Saturday.
The rain will move eastwards then into Saturday night and into Sunday.
“But there will still be a lot of dry weather further to the east even on Sunday with some rain and drizzle in western parts.”
The meteorologist said Monday will be cloudy with some rain and drizzle too, but on Tuesday conditions will start to improve.
She added: “It’s looking more positive conditions by Wednesday with lots of dry, spells, plenty of sunshine and temperatures up to 16C or 17C.”
