You'll need bucket, spade and...umbrella at seaside

Fiona Dillon

People planning a trip to the beach this bank holiday weekend better pack an umbrella along with the buckets and spades.

It may be summer, but you would not know it from the terrible temperatures.

In fact, forecasters are predicting that temperatures will not rise above a maximum of 13C over the weekend.

And tonight, temperatures come close to freezing in many areas with some grass frost.

Tomorrow, Met Eireann said, it's going to be cool and bright.

Many areas will be dry with sunny spells, but some scattered showers will occur, with eastern coastal counties set to be hit.

There is a risk of heavy showers, and more persistent rain will develop in the southwest of the country.

Rain will spread from the southwest to most areas, turning heavy, with freshening easterly winds tomorrow.

The prediction is that Monday will be breezy and wet, with occasional spells of rain in all areas, which will be heavy at times, with a slight risk of thunder. It will clear in most parts on early Monday night.

However, despite the weather, thousands of people are making the most of the bank holiday weekend by heading away.

Assistant Garda Commissioner John O'Mahony has asked to road users to be particularly careful because of the unsettled weather predictions and to reflect this in driving.

flights

More than 220,000 passengers are expected to travel through Dublin Airport.

Over 1,800 flights will arrive and depart during this time as the summer holiday season begins in earnest.

Iarnrod Eireann and Bus Eireann also expect an increase in passenger numbers.

The unsettled weather has also prompted warnings from the Road Safety Association.

"We must be mindful that any mistake on the road can lead to very serious consequences for all involved. We have seen recently weather conditions can deteriorate significantly," says Assistant Commissioner O'Mahony.

"Slowing down is the safest way to deal with any weather or road hazard," he stressed.

Chief executive of the Road Safety Authority, Noel Brett, points out: "Every bank holiday weekend, we talk about numbers killed in past bank holiday crashes, but, of course, they are not just numbers.

"They were members of our community, a father, mother, brother, husband or child and tragically 33 valuable members of our community lost their lives in May bank holiday crashes since 2005.

"This May bank holiday weekend, let's aim to make it free of any further suffering or loss."

Last May bank holiday four people died on the roads and nine were seriously injured.

fdillon@herald.ie