Mercury to rise to at least 27°C in Belfast 'heatwave'

Because this week is going to be hot.

Temperatures to hit mid-30s in heatwaveAccording to Grahame Madge, Senior Press Officer, at the Met Office, "Belfast in particular is set to see a heat wave over the next few days".

Met Office meteorologists say tomorrow, will again be 'dry and increasingly bright then sunny day with temperatures trending up'.

According to the Met Office it will feel 'very warm with sunshine increasing from the afternoon'.

The maximum temperature is forecast at 23 °C.

Meanwhile the outlook for Wednesday to Friday is even more promising for sun worshippers.

Forecasters say it will be 'A dry and bright with plenty of sunshine, temperatures trending up. Feeling very warm or hot in the sunshine'.

Grahame says "Belfast on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday will see temperatures of 26/27 °C which is heatwave conditions".

"There is a bit of a range in the temperatures and we tend to go with the middle figure, but there is always the possibility it could creep up or down either side of that," he said.

He added that "heatwave conditions were more likely on the eastern side of Northern Ireland in Belfast and as you go further north and west you are closer to the weather fronts that are out in the Atlantic".

He added that Met Office temperatures "are forecast for shade conditions".

"The temperature values when you see them reported from weather stations are in shaded conditions and are not the temperature above tarmac," added Grahame. "We have to have consistent ways of recording and measuring.

"The heat is continuing to build during the week and as Northern Ireland I is the closer relative of the Atlantic than other parts of the UK, it will cool down more quickly first.

"We getting these temperatures because we have a high pressure area in situ."

Meanwhile the UK mainland is braced for another heatwave that will last longer than July’s record-breaking hot spell, with highs of up to 35C expected this week.

Temperatures over the coming days will remain lower than last month’s scorching 43.C but the warmth will continue over a “prolonged period”, the Met Office has said.

People have been urged not to host barbecues in the tinder-dry conditions after 15 homes were evacuated following a garden fire that spread out of control in Essex.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said around 40 people were forced to flee properties due to a blaze that damaged more than a dozen homes on Saturday past.

Area manager Neil Fenwick said: “While summer weather usually provides the perfect opportunity to host a barbecue or gather around a chiminea in the evening, we’re strongly discouraging people from having any kinds of fires at the moment.

“The ground across Essex is extremely dry allowing fires to spread easily and quickly.”

Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “It will be a lot of sunshine for a vast majority of the UK and also temperatures rising day after day.

“Not everyone will initially see those sunny conditions, but towards the end of the week even Scotland and Northern Ireland will join the rest of the UK in having generally fine, sunny and very warm if not hot conditions.

“It does look like a prolonged period of dry weather and obviously that’s bad news for southern England where some rain would really be useful now.

“In terms of temperatures we’re looking at them build from 28C or 29C tomorrow to the low to mid 30s from Thursday onwards, so a fairly widespread heatwave developing across the UK this week.

“The peak of the temperatures look likely to occur on Friday or Saturday.”