Warm periods with highs of 26 degrees are expected on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, according to forecasters. Many people who were unimpressed by the wettest July in history and a month of rain and sunshine in August will be relieved by the news.

As their two-month summer holiday comes to a close, thousands of youngsters have already returned to school in their uniforms this week.

Warm air is moving from a high-pressure region in continental Europe to a low-pressure region in the Atlantic, which is the cause of the weather shift. This week will be extremely warm, both during the day and at night, according to Met Éireann, with an increased chance of thundery storms erupting.

In most places, Monday and Tuesday will be dry and clear with highs of 26 degrees inland.

According to Met Éireann, Wednesday won't be quite as sunny as recent days due to sporadic showers brought on by cloud developing at times.

On Thursday, there might be sporadic heavy or thundery showers along with warm or extremely bright sunlight at times.

On Friday, there will be a mix of clouds and mild sunlight, with a high of 24 degrees.

The warm weather is expected to last over the weekend and into the next week, with Met Éireann forecasting sporadic outbreaks of rain combined with some warm or extremely warm sunny periods.