GALLERY: Family fun at Helen's Bay as Northern Ireland records the hottest temperature in the UK

As thousands of people flocked to their favourite hotspots for a pleasurable walk, catching up with friends and family, or to enjoy an ice-cream, the highest temperature recorded was 24.1°C in Castlederg, Co Tyrone.

That figure was the highest posted across the entirety of the United Kingdom yesterday, with Armagh being Northern Ireland’s second highest as the mercury posted a reading of 23°C.

On Saturday, Castlederg was also the hottest place in Northern Ireland with the same temperature as yesterday (24.1°C), with Derrylin, Co Fermanagh, close by at 22.9°C.

The glimpse of summer is set to continue over the coming days as the province is expected to have more sunshine and pleasurable temperatures well above average for this time of year.

Dan Stroud, meteorologist at the Met Office, provided the positive update for the next few days – although the possibility of rain south of the province is on the radar.

He said: “The start of this week is just a continuation of the lovely weather in Northern Ireland.

“It is going to be dry and summery for the first half of the week, although the temperatures will subside and won’t be as high as the weekend just past.

“But they are still going to be well above average and I’d expect to see readings in the high-teens, maybe even low 20s.

“By the middle of the week, the high pressure is going to relax, meaning there could be scattered showers in the south of the province on Tuesday afternoon.

“However, the outlook for the week is largely dry and full of sunshine.”

But there could be a different story ahead of the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend.

Mr Stroud explained: “Unfortunately, I don’t have good news on that front.

“The readings show that the Bank Holiday weekend will have clouds and rain.”

So our advice – make sure you enjoy the sunshine throughout the week.