Northern Ireland weather: ‘Bright and breezy’ start to the week but remaining warm and humid with threat of thunderstorms

He said that ‘a few frontal systems for Northern Ireland will bring longer spells of rain’ in places ‘long enough to produce coastal gales at times’.

He also asked the public to ‘remember UV levels will be high in that sunshine’ and ‘tonight as more cloud arrives there will be longer spells of rain for Northern Ireland’.

The news comes as the Daily Extremes app on the Met Office site reveals that the ‘Highest maximum temperature yesterday was 22.3 °C in Killowen’.

Meanwhile the sunniest area of Northern Ireland yesterday was Katesbridge with 2.9 hours.

And Deputy Chief Meteorologist Mark Sidaway said: “This week, we’ll see changeable weather, with most areas experiencing rain at some point.

"Temperatures will be around average in the north, but warmer and more humid in the south and southeast, reaching the high 20s Celsius on Wednesday.

"This may lead to a thundery breakdown later on Wednesday night into Thursday morning, which we are keeping an eye on.

“From midweek, a strong jet stream from North America will influence our weather, bringing spells of wetter and windier conditions from Thursday onwards into the weekend.

"This will be most notable in the northwest, while the southeast will turn warm and humid again.

"As a result, temperatures in this area will rise once more.”

Meanwhile, according to the Met Office Northern Ireland today will be ‘a bright day with sunny spells and scattered showers, the showers most frequent across northern and western counties’.

However, during the afternoon the showers tend to die out.

And ‘cloud increases in the west later’ with ‘fresh westerly winds’ and a maximum temperature 19 °C.

Tonight will see ‘some late sunny spells in the east but generally a cloudy evening with outbreaks of occasionally heavy rain spreading northeast’.

‘It remains cloudy overnight with further rain at times’ and a ‘minimum temperature 10 °C,’ adds the Met Office.

Meanwhile, Tuesday will also have ‘a cloudy morning with outbreaks of mainly light rain, the cloud and rain clearing east from late morning to leave sunny spells and just the odd shower in the afternoon’.

There will be a maximum temperature 19 °C.

The outlook for Wednesday to Friday is: ‘Remaining unsettled with showers or, especially on Friday morning, longer spells of occasionally heavy rain. Breezy at times, especially on Friday’.

Looking further ahead – Friday 27 Jun - Sunday 6 Jul – ‘weather conditions are expected to remain changeable through this period, as a series of Atlantic low pressure systems pass to the northwest of the UK’.

‘These will tend to bring some occasional rain or showers, most frequent in northwestern areas where it may also be rather breezy or windy at times.

‘Whilst some rain or showers will be possible across the south and east, here longer drier spells are more likely, under the influence of higher pressure.

‘There is also the chance of some occasional very warm weather, as south or southwesterly winds allow brief bursts of hotter air to encroach from the continent, but probably fairly short-lived and perhaps also accompanied by a few thunderstorms at times’.

And the forecast from Monday 7 Jul - Monday 21 Jul is: ‘A continuation of changeable conditions is most likely for the first part of July.

‘The wettest and windiest conditions most likely towards the northwest with a risk of some heavy rain at times, especially over hills.

‘Southern and eastern areas are most favoured for longer drier and more settled spells, although even here some occasional rain or showers will be possible, perhaps thundery.

‘There are signs of more widely settled weather during the second half of July, however this signal is very tentative.

‘Temperatures are expected to be above average for most areas, especially towards the southeast where there will be an ongoing chance of some very warm or hot conditions at times’.