Northern Ireland weather: Hopes high that today will be hottest of the year to date and warmer than Barcelona in Spain and Athens in Greece

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon added that for Northern Ireland specifically, the highest temp of the year so far is 17.2C.

And he thinks ‘there’s a chance of some spots breaching that figure today, though it’ll more widely be around 15C or 16C’.

He added that “it’s likely to be the UK’s hottest day of the year so far today, possibly eclipsing the 19.7C highest so far, with breaching this most likely in the southeast”.

And tomorrow in Northern Ireland, Mr Dixon said that “highs are likely to be slightly more subdued, with a touch more cloud around and some more persistent rain later in the day”.

He said that temperatures tomorrow could possibly reach 14C.

He added that on Saturday there will be “highs of around 12C” and on Sunday a “high around 10C”.

"Northern Ireland’s warmer weather today is being caused by high pressure to the east of the UK helping to pull warmer air over the UK from the south,” he said.

"This is resulting in temperatures well above average for the time of year, as well as plenty of sunny skies through the day.

"However, this pattern is set to shift for the weekend, with low pressure systems and fronts to the west set to influence weather from late on Friday and into the weekend, with more frequent periods of rain, cloud and temperatures returning to closer to average for the time of year.”

The news comes as the Met Office says that the Spring equinox could be hottest day of 2025 so far and ‘well above average’

Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said Thursday will be generally dry and fine with plenty of sunny spells.

Wednesday’s highest recorded temperature was 18.7C in Northolt, west London.

Speaking about Thursday, Mr Partridge said: “It will be a little warmer too.

“The highest temperatures are expected in an area from London, the home counties to southern Midlands. Here we are likely to see 19C or 20C widely with one or two spots likely to reach 21C.”

The expected rise in temperatures coincides with the spring equinox which is the first day of astronomical spring.

Parts of the country may be hotter than Barcelona in Spain and Athens in Greece, where highs of 15C and 12C are forecast respectively.

The highest recorded UK spring equinox temperature was 21.5C in 1972, and Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said 2025’s highest temperature is unlikely to top that.

This year has so far peaked at 19.7C in Crosby, Merseyside, on March 9.

Wetter weather will move in on Friday and the weekend will be more unsettled.

Mr Dixon said: “Tomorrow’s weather – it’s going to be a widely dry, fine and sunny day for many, with temperatures well above average at the time of year.

“Temperatures are going to peak on the Thursday and they’ll decline into the weekend, heading closer towards average but still relatively warm for this time of year.”

Higher pressure to the east of the UK is currently helping to draw warmer air north across the country, he said.

The sunshine will be only broken by some fair-weather cloud in central parts of England on Thursday, he said.

Friday will remain warm for many but some rain is expected to move in from the south west.

Showers are forecast to start in Cornwall and gradually travel north-east during that day into parts of Wales and central and southern England.

Rain is then expected for much of the country through the weekend, and Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Steven Keates said: “This heralds the move to something more unsettled for the UK’s weather on Saturday, with more rain or showers developing for much of England,

Wales and Northern Ireland through the day, and some heavier bursts likely in places.

“Western parts of Scotland are also likely to see rain on Saturday, with this gradually moving eastwards across the rest of Scotland through the weekend.

“Unsettled weather, with occasional rain or showers for many, will continue on Sunday, with plenty of cloud around as well.”

Meteorological spring always starts on March 1 while astronomical spring, or the equinox, begins around March 20 each year.

The other equinox is in September and both mark the sun crossing the equator, rather than being at an angle.

Day and night are therefore about the same length.