Enjoy that strange mid-October warmth while you can...

Looking outside the window right this minute – 2.25pm on Monday afternoon, for the record – and you'd be forgiven for thinking we're still in the middle of summer. Unless of course it's lashing down rain where you are right now. In which case, sorry. The point is, dear reader, that it's rather mild and sunny for the middle of October. With temperatures of 19 degrees this afternoon, it's all quite pleasant, no? That's all thanks to a tropical maritime airmass currently sweeping over the country, but don't get too used to it. For one, the low pressure is likely to lead to wet and unsettled conditions here and there. Second of all, the present situation is set to be replaced later in the week by a polar maritime airmass. As you can probably guess from the name, it will bring cooler but more settled weather along with it. https://twitter.com/MetEireann/status/1450081952145489929 Generally, the coming week looks mixed enough. According to the latest forecast from Met Éireann, outbreaks of rain should be common early in the week while drier spells develop towards Friday. Temperatures will fall back to the "October average" along the way. The weekend, however, may be a grim affair. "Largely unsettled" is the word from Met Éireann, with wet and breezy weather at times thanks to showers and spells of rain spread from the Atlantic. Get that tan while you still can, basically.