We hardly believe it ourselves.

We all know the Irish weather can be a bit of a gamble, but here’s some good news for Cork folks: Met Éireann is predicting a mostly dry Thursday with hazy sunshine peeking through and highest temperatures of 21C.

Sounds like the perfect excuse to dust off your beach bag and soak up some long-awaited summer rays. Whether you’re planning a picnic on the sand, a refreshing dip in the ocean, or simply a leisurely stroll along the beach followed by a whopper 99, Thursday looks set to be a glorious day.

But before you pack your flip-flops, let’s dive into the details…

According to the forecasters, Thursday will be dull, damp and misty to start with outbreaks of rain.

Once we get over that it will gradually become patchier rain, “with a clearance to hazy sunny spells and mostly dry conditions gradually building in from the west through the afternoon”.

We can expect highest temperatures of 17 to 21 degrees with light to moderate southerly or variable breezes with some coastal fog likely at times.

Right now, Friday is looking cloudy with a high chance of drizzle, although temperatures will stay between 17C and 22C.

Friday night will be humid and cloudy with outbreaks of rain becoming widespread, turning heavy at times with a chance of spot flooding and it’s much the same for Saturday: A wet start with widespread showery outbreaks of rain, heavy in places with a chance of more flooding.

Our advice? Hit the beach while you can.