​Northern Ireland weather: Skies are set to empty after four-day heatwave

It has been a great time for home workers who can get away with working in beachwear while those bound by office jobs have sought parks and green areas to catch a few rays at lunchtime.​

The highest temperature today was 26.6C, recorded at Giant’s Causeway following on from 28.6C in Ballywatticock on Tuesday – the highest temperature so far this year.

Ballywatticock, a townland in Newtownards – was put on the map last year when the highest ever temperature in Northern Ireland was recorded there in July (31.2C), only to be pipped the same month by Castlederg in Co Tyrone (31.3C).

But this week after four straight days of temperatures above 25C thunderstorms and hail have been forecast for the Province.

In fact it would seem that the drought that has seen just 3% of June’s average rainfall so far this month is about to come to a end in style.

The Met Office said that dry weather will give way to “thundery and unstable” conditions on Thursday and Friday, with Northern Ireland expected to experience between 20 and 25mm of rainfall within an hour and even some hail, before spreading to parts of western Scotland, the North West and North Wales.

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said that, while temperatures will remain hotter than average for this time of year, most regions of the country will drop below the threshold for a heatwave.

According to the agency, a heatwave is defined as three consecutive days with daily maximum temperatures meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold, with the threshold varying in each county. In Northern Ireland it is 25C.

Mr Dixon said: “The dry, fine and sunny weather is to continue for the next few days with temperatures peaking at 30 degrees in parts of England.

“Temperatures remain above average for the time of year in the mid-to-high 20s (and) dropping below those heat wave thresholds in some counties.

“On Thursday there is a chance of thunder moving into western areas of Northern Ireland, the west of Scotland, North West England and North Wales.”