Heatwave to peak on Friday afternoon

The Athlone area could swelter in temperatures of a whopping 26 degrees on Friday afternoon.

Met Eireann is predicting that the temperatures will reach 26 degrees between 3pm and 5pm on Friday.

Nationally, Friday will continue very warm with good sunny spells.

It will be mostly dry in the east, however, there will be some showers in the west and they could turn heavy and possibly thundery later in the day. Highest temperatures 21 to 27 degrees, but a few degrees lower along south and southeast coasts in onshore moderate southeasterly breezes.

Today, Thursday, will see temperatures rising throughout the morning in Athlone and reaching 23 degrees between 2-5pm.

The fine weather will continue into Saturday with temperatures reaching around 22 degrees before cooler but still mild weather prevails on Sunday.