While the sun has been poking through the clouds in recent days, it appears as though summer weather remains off in the distance.

The rain has steered clear of Ireland for most of the past couple of weeks, with cloudy but dry conditions getting May off to a tepid start.

However, according to one weather expert, the country still won’t be enjoying significant heat for some time.

On Saturday, Alan O’Reilly of Carlow Weather shared global heat maps for the upcoming days, with Ireland consistently being on the cooler side.

He wrote: ‘Lots of people asking if there is any sign of some heat for Ireland but (the) answer is nope.’

While the sun is set to shine in many areas, the wind chill is expected to bring temperatures down.

Met Éireann has also issued a mixed forecast for the week ahead, with changeable conditions arriving across the coming days.

Sunday will be mostly dry with sunny spells, though isolated showers are possible in western and northwestern coastal areas.

Further showers are expected throughout the night, as temperatures drop to as low as 3C in some parts.

For the week ahead, Met Éireann said: ‘Turning more changeable and a little more unsettled from midweek with a mix of sunshine and blustery showers. Continuing cool for this time of year.’

Monday is set to be a mix of light rain and cloudy conditions, with patchy rain extending across the night.

The national forecaster continued: ‘Cloud along with patchy rain and drizzle will continue to extend southeastwards through (Tuesday) morning, with brighter, breezier conditions and scattered showers following from the northwest.

‘Showers in the northwest will spread southeastwards across the country overnight with some turning heavy.’

Wednesday and Thursday are both set to be cool days, with blustery winds making temperatures feel lower than they already will be.