Island of Ireland sees another temperature record for May

Tuesday is the the hottest May day on record across the island of Ireland,.

Irish weather forecast Met Éireann has confirmed that temperatures have reached 30.6C degrees at Shannon Airport, County Clare, beating Monday's record of 28.6 degrees at the same location.

That makes Tuesday the warmest May day on record across the island of Ireland and the warmest day of the year so far.

Met Éireann has also issued a yellow warning for high temperatures in counties Clare, Galway, Kerry, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Offaly, and Tipperary until Wednesday at 18:00 BST.

Temperatures in Northern Ireland will not be as high.

In fact, temperatures towards the north coast are likely to stay around 15/16C while around 23C is expected further south and inland for the likes of Fermanagh.

Temperatures on Bank Holiday Monday climbed to 25.8C in Derrylin in County Fermanagh.

The UK also recorded its all-time highest May temperature as part of London reached 34.8C on Monday.

The 104-year-old record for May in Northern Ireland is 28.3C, which was recorded in Lisburn on 31 May 1922.

The previous May record for the island of Ireland was 28.4C which was set at Ardfert in Co Kerry on 31 May 1997.

The hottest conditions on Tuesday are expected across Munster and south Leinster.

Met Éireann said it will be "another warm or hot day and it'll be dry and sunny for most".

Meteorologist Gerry Murphy said temperatures being broken is "quite a big deal" for the month of May.

Heatwaves are becoming more likely and more extreme because of human-induced climate change.

The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began, and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.

Murphy said the record "cannot be linked specifically to climate change", but what can be linked is that a "very high temperature with a return period can".

"That means an extreme weather event which is likely to be seen once in every hundred years is now becoming more common and is now recurring once in every 30 years," he added.

It can be difficult to get a good night's sleep when the weather is hot.

Most of us need about seven to eight hours of good-quality sleep each night to function properly.

But the majority of people can still function well after a night or two of disturbed sleep.

Sleep expert James Wilson believes sleep isn't something that can be forced.

"If our narrative around sleeping in a warmer than usual environment is quite negative then we're going to struggle," he said.

"We can talk ourselves into poor sleep by thinking and believing it's too hot," he added.

Wilson said that in order to drift easily into dream land, it is important to take some practical steps early in the day.

These include shutting the blinds or curtains when there is direct sunlight entering your bedroom, keeping a window open for fresh air to flow freely, or even swapping to a cooler room in the house for a night or two.

He said sudden temperature changes to the body before bed can trigger a function in the brain making us think we need to stay awake and alert.

"Fix it early and adapt," he added.

Our pets need some additional help to keep cool in the heat, this is because canines have a very limited ability to regulate their own temperature.

They do not sweat like humans – only perspiring a small amount through the pads on their paws, with their often thick fur coats meaning their core temperature can rise quickly in high temperatures.

Glenn Ford runs the BARN animal rescue in Newtownards where they look after over 30 dogs and 20 cats.

He said he has noticed the animals are very lethargic in the warmer weather.

"Some of the dogs have got thick coats or double coats, so you have to keep an eye on them all the time to make sure they have plenty of water, clean fresh water.

"The main thing to watch or what you need to be careful with is if they get too lethargic or start showing the signs of heat stroke or, dehydration. That's when you've got a problem," he added.

Ford said that if this does happen, it is important to take steps to cool them down.

"People sometimes tend to think, throw a bucket of water around them or something like that, it's not a good idea."

He said the best thing to do is have a wet area that they can lie on themselves.

Ford also advised people not to take their dog out for a walk if it's too warm as it risks the animals overheating, getting sunstroke or heatstroke, or burning their paws on concrete.

"Watch out for signs of panting, bright red gums or tongue, heavy breathing," he added.

"Worst case scenario the dog might get wobbly walking or fall over.

"If you do reach that stage you definitely need to look at getting your animal to the vet for treatment.

"It can be fatal, that's how bad it is."