Met Éireann has said that a high pressure weather system known as the 'Azores High' is expected to build later this week across Ireland bringing warm and settled conditions.

The national forecaster has said that it will become very warm or even hot in parts of the country from Thursday.

Today (Monday, July 7) will be a dry day with warm spells of sunshine, cooler and cloudier in west Connacht and Ulster where they may be some light showers.

Highest afternoon temperatures of 14-23°C, feeling warmest across the southeast and east. North-west winds will be mostly moderate, occasionally fresh in strength.

Tonight will be dry in most areas, apart from western and north-western fringes where there will be a little patchy rain or drizzle. Lowest temperatures of 9-13° a in light to moderate north-west to west wind.

Tuesday will be will be a humid day with patchy outbreaks of drizzle. Some warm spells of sunshine, particularly in Munster and the south midlands. Highest temperatures of 17-24° with moderate west to northwest winds.

There will be some patchy drizzle in west and north-west counties on Tuesday night, dry elsewhere under broken cloud. Mild with lowest temperatures of 11-15° in light westerly breezes.

Wednesday will be dry, except for some isolated light showers across western and northern parts.

It will be a generally cloudy day but warm sunshine occur in east and south-east areas where it will feel warmest. Highest temperatures of 17-24°, in just light westerly breezes.

Thursday will be a dry day for most parts of the country with warm spells of sunshine, possibly staying cloudy across north and north-west with the chance of a few showers. Afternoon highs 21-26° in just light south-west or variable breezes.

On Friday, a "very warm or hot continental airmass" looks likely to feed up across Ireland. There will be highest temperatures of 22-28° generally in light southerly breezes.

Although there is uncertainty,the forecast currently shows potential for widespread hot sunny weather to remain over the weekend.

Met Éireann has said that for the coming week, up until next weekend at least, there will be little if any rainfall. Totals will rangie from 0mm in parts of the south and east to 5mm in the west, or between 0% and 29% of average.

Mean air temperatures for the next seven days are expected to be between 1-3° above normal, ranging from 16-19°. Mean soil temperatures will continue above normal.

Drying conditions will generally be good for much of the coming week, but will temporarily decrease moderate to poor mainly in the west on Tuesday.

There will be good opportunities for spraying this coming week, with lighter winds generally from Tuesday.

Over the next week, soil moisture deficits will increase widely by around 10mm, though more substantially in the north-west, west and far south-west.

Met Éireann noted there is uncertainty in the forecast for next weekend, so figures could reduce a little again if weather fronts manage to move in from the Atlantic.