Weekly weather: drought conditions to persist

A status yellow drought warning will remain in place until Friday.

Hannah Quinn-Mulligan

2 July 2018

Weekly weather: drought conditions to persist

Padraig Bryan of Bryan Bros Agri Contractors is pictured irrigating grassland with water for a beef farmer in East Cork. Padraig is spreading up to 27,000 gallons per acre which equates to one inch of rain. \ Donal O' Leary

Countrywide, the week ahead is forecast to be warm, dry and sunny, with a drought warning in place until Friday, 6 July.Monday is forecast to be another dry and mostly sunny day with highs of 22°C to 28°C, according to Met Éireann.

Countrywide, the week ahead is forecast to be warm, dry and sunny, with a drought warning in place until Friday, 6 July.

Monday is forecast to be another dry and mostly sunny day with highs of 22°C to 28°C, according to Met Éireann.

It will become very warm as temperatures reach 20°C to 27°C, again slightly cooler near coasts due to onshore sea breezes.

High pressure and settled conditions will persist throughout the coming week, with warm, dry and sunny conditions countrywide.

The national forecaster has warned that temperatures are likely to exceed 30°C again this week.

Farming forecast

It has been completely dry in Ireland this past week except for the far southeast of the country where a trace of rain was recorded, amounting to just 0.1mm.

There will be almost no rainfall this week either except for the odd shower or spot of misty drizzle from very weak weather fronts.

Drying and spraying

A red fire warning has been in place and drying conditions in most areas have been severe, with some areas rendered vulnerable to fire outbreaks due to dry vegetation.

Field conditions

Met Éireann data shows that land is very solid at the moment. They've warned that well-trodden paths could be slippy for people and animals.

Soil moisture deficits are 60 to 80mm across the east, south and a good deal of the midlands; in the north and northwest they are 40 to 50mm. Grass growth is practically non-existent.

Heatwave advice

Human health and animal health: precautions and regular checking of animals is advised with the increased temperatures over the coming week.

Animal transportation: there are a number of factors that should be kept in mind when transporting livestock.

Silage and topping: an increasing soil moisture deficit is starting to hit growth and yield in second-cut crops. Should these crops be cut or left to bulk up?

Meal supplementation: your options to conserve grass supplies.

Water advice: water intake will be much higher next week, so it is important to ensure that facilities can deal with increased demand.