IRELAND has been spoiled by warm temperatures and sunshine this summer, but it was always going to end with a bang.
This weekend, the country is set to be hit by Storm Debby - a subtropical storm which formed in the North Atlantic earlier this week.
The US National Hurricane Centre said Debby formed 1,200 miles east of Boston on Tuesday but was not expected to make landfall in North America.
This #Debbie won’t be heading to Texas, she will dissipate over the coming days but the remains of the storm will track towards Ireland Saturday and could potentially bring some much needed rain. pic.twitter.com/d11FdQr1Bv
— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) August 7, 2018
It is currently heading across the Atlantic around 1,000 miles off Portugal’s Azores with high winds of up to 50mph.
Storm #Debby is now classed as Tropical storm located 1100 miles west-northwest of the Azores. She is forecast to dissipate over the far northern Atlantic by Thursday night. But a wet and windy Saturday is looking more likely in Ireland as the remains of Debby arrive. pic.twitter.com/2eU8jcTQg9
— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) August 8, 2018
Carlow weatherman Alan O’Reilly said the storm is likely to dissipate before its remnants arrive in Ireland by Saturday.
Latest ECMWF shows a windy Saturday and wet in some areas too. #Debby pic.twitter.com/KkNRFnppv4
— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) August 8, 2018
He tweeted: "This #Debbie won’t be heading to Texas, she will dissipate over the coming days but the remains of the storm will track towards Ireland Saturday and could potentially bring some much needed rain."
Met Éireann have forecast a wet and windy Saturday with rain particularly heavy on Sunday.
A spokesperson said: "Currently, showers or longer spells of rain look likely for Sunday.
Still a lot of uncertainty around storm #Debby and the expected rainfall from the remnants of her but certainly some rain coming Saturday. With just 2.5mm so far this month the water supplies could do with some decent rainfall. pic.twitter.com/d9888a2ZC7
— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) August 8, 2018
"Mostly cloudy at first, but brighter intervals are signalled for later in the day with daytime highs similar to Saturday.
"Top temperatures 17 to 22 degrees in sometimes gusty southerly winds."
Low pressure from Debby's remnants could spark heavy rain and storms in parts of Britain and Ireland, according to the UK Met Office.
Thunder and lightning could possibly make an appearance along with strong winds and hail, they said.
