Irish tourists travelling to scorching northern Europe have been urged to avoid the sunlight at peak times and to stay hydrated as temperatures soar to a boiling 40C.
The warning came as EU experts stressed the blistering heatwave has brought ‘extreme danger’ to France and Spain, with a high chance of forest fires.
The Irish Travel Agents’ Association (ITAA) also advised Irish people visiting parts of Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands on Tuesday to be wary of the rocketing temperatures.
ITAA CEO Pat Dawson said: “Our members are advising holidaymakers staying in affected areas to stay hydrated throughout their stay and to avoid direct sunlight during the hottest periods of the day.
“We are encouraging all travellers to follow the advice of the local authorities which are implementing measures to tackle the extreme heat.”
Back home, while the top temperature reached 27C in parts of the midlands and north-east yesterday, we won’t have to worry about sauna-like heat like continental Europe.
Met Éireann forecaster Liz Gavin said: “Temperatures are going to remain slightly above normal for the next day or two.
“But it is going to become much more changeable with some showers or rain.
“For [Wednesday] there should be a good deal of cloud around at first and a few showers then possibly breaking out through the course of the day.
“The east will get the best of the sunshine and the western half of the country will probably be in the firing line for a few [showers].
“We’re expecting a band of showery rain over the western half of the country Wednesday night into Thursday so we can expect to see some heavy bursts in the south-west and west of the country.
“The best of the drier weather will be in the east on Thursday as well.”
Ms Gavin said there will be a mix of sunshine and showers on Friday with temperatures of between 18C and 21C and the possibility of a few heavy showers.
She added: “By the weekend temperatures should be back more close to normal. This time of year we’re looking at normal temperatures of about 18C to 20C.
“At the moment it does look like overall there will a good deal of dry weather for the weekend, but there will be some showers in the mix.
“The best temperatures for the weekend will be in the east and we’ll see 19C or 20C. It’ll be cooler along Atlantic coasts and along parts of the south-west.”
- The ITAA has recommended that holidaymakers travelling to Northern Europe should check the Department of Foreign Affairs’ website www.dfa.ie for further information before travelling and to download the TravelWise app.
