Cork Weather: Dry Wednesday Before Thursday Rain Band Arrives

• Cork can expect a largely dry Wednesday with temperatures reaching 17°C, but should prepare for a spell of heavy rain early Thursday morning that could affect the morning commute before conditions improve for a settled weekend.

Today, Wednesday 6 August, will remain mostly dry across Cork City and County, with any shower activity staying well offshore along the west coast. Temperatures this afternoon will reach 16-17°C with south-westerly winds freshening to 15-20 km/h, occasionally gusting to 25 km/h. Cloud will gradually thicken from the west through the evening, though conditions should remain dry with winds potentially gusting to 30 km/h near exposed coastal areas.

The main weather event arrives overnight into Thursday morning. A frontal rain band will move across Munster between midnight and dawn, with western parts of Cork potentially seeing rainfall rates of up to 3 mm/hr. This will bring poor visibility and road spray conditions for the early morning commute, with southerly winds gusting 30-40 km/h near exposed coasts.

Met Éireann has confirmed the rain will clear towards dawn on Thursday, with the day becoming brighter with sunny spells and only isolated showers. Temperatures will reach 17-20°C with moderate west to south-west winds.

Thursday afternoon should see conditions improving significantly as the frontal system clears into the Irish Sea. While scattered heavy showers may develop inland with rainfall rates around 1 mm/hr, the south coast should experience mainly dry intervals. Winds will moderate to 20-25 km/h from the west-south-west, gusting up to 35 km/h in any showers.

Friday marks the start of more settled conditions as high pressure builds. The day will be largely dry with any showers remaining very isolated. Temperatures will reach 16-18°C with light to moderate westerly breezes around 15 km/h. Good visibility is expected throughout the day.

The weekend looks particularly promising for outdoor activities. Saturday will see mostly dry conditions, though brief afternoon showers may develop inland. Sunday appears to be the pick of the weekend, with pleasant conditions under high pressure, temperatures climbing to 17-19°C, and light winds creating ideal conditions for the GAA fixtures and outdoor events.

Travel Advisory: Motorists should exercise extra caution during Thursday's early morning commute, particularly on the N40 and M8, where heavy rain and gusty winds will create challenging driving conditions. Allow extra time for journeys and reduce speed on wet roads. Conditions will improve significantly from Thursday afternoon onwards.

Looking ahead to early next week, Met Éireann indicates warm and humid conditions with temperatures potentially reaching the low 20s, though some rain or showers are possible at times.