After the heat: Northern Ireland's farewell to blazing sun and beach time as days of rain and thunder roll in, starting Saturday
It’s goodbye to beach days and sun-bathing in the park, as Northern Ireland’s spell of hot weather under blazing sun comes to an end.
Days of rain and thunder roll in from tomorrow, and while conditions are forecast to be especially bad on Saturday evening showers are to continue well into next week.
Today cloud cover seemed to mark the end of the good weather, though skies did brighten up from late afternoon and the day stayed warm.
Temperatures maxed out at 21.9C, recorded in Kilowen in the south of Co Down – but even that above average reading was a far cry from the 26.3C felt in Armagh on Bank Holiday Monday, which saw Ulster equal Barcelona.
In the heart of Belfast, workers were noticeable by their absence from regular hot weather lunchbreak haunt of Belfast City Hall.
The grounds of the building were shut for most of the week due to the takedown of a continental market that ran last weekend, with office and shop workers instead soaking up rays by eating al fresco on the street pavements around the Edwardian civic building.
When the grounds finally reopened on Thursday, they were packed with people taking a break in the sun; come a cloudy Friday, they’d all gone indoors again.
A Met Office spokeswoman said temperatures will top out around 18C to 19C for the next few days, which is roughly average for this time of year.
Saturday begins with heavy rain then has a showery afternoon followed by, stated the spokeswoman: “A heavy band of rain moving in from abut 7pm, which could be bringing thunder”.
She added: “We are keeping an eye on it.”
Sunday is to stay showery “and you may hear the odd rumble of thunder”, she stated, while Monday and Tuesday also bring showers with more thunder possible on the latter day.
It’s all a far cry from the fun in the sun seen last weekend – though temperatures have been gradually declining all week, even as clear blue skies brought very warm days.
The good weather was tinged with repeated tragedy, however, and today 16-year-old Charlie Noble was named as the 12th person in the UK to die in open water during the heat. He got into trouble at a beauty spot in Stirlingshire, Scotland.