Northern Ireland could be even hotter over weekend say forecasters

Following a week when temperatures have been climbing steadily, the mercury hit 28.5C in Katesbridge, Co Down, and 28.1C in Armagh.

Across the rest of the county it was typically 27C and only light winds.

A Met Office spokesman said we can expect similar temperatures today and into the weekend.

“We will continue to see high 20s, if not pushing into the low 30s,” he said.

“Next week there are signs that things may turn slightly more unsettled. There is still some uncertainty with regards to the extent of any showers, but it’s not looking at his stage if anywhere will see a weather front sweeping through and bringing a good dose of rain.”

The forecaster said that “Friday and Saturday will be the peak of this heatwave,” in Northern Ireland, and added: “Then into Sunday there will be a slight shift potentially... not wall to wall unbroken sunshine, but still fairly bright.”

The large numbers of people choosing to cool off in the sea has led to a number of incidents where off-duty RNLI lifeguards have helped swimmers who got into difficulties.

In one incident in at Downhill beach on the north coast, senior lifeguard Cara Telfer was able to break away from a swim with her family to help a young boy who had found himself around 150m from the shore, despite not being a strong swimmer.

Another off-duty RNLI member, lifeguard supervisor Stuart Montgomery, was able to rescue a man who was struggling to stay afloat almost 200m from the shoreline.

In a third incident, senior lifeguard Paddy Murphy came to the aid of man having a suspected heart attack at the side of the road on his way home from Tyrella beach.

Meanwhile, in England, a drought is expected to be declared in some area as the extreme heat continues.

Warning are also in place in relation to the health aspects of the heatwave, with temperatures expected to rise further to around 36C. The ongoing dry conditions, combined with last month’s record-breaking heatwave, have depleted rivers, reservoirs and aquifers and dried up soils, hitting agriculture, water supplies and wildlife and raising the risk of wildfires.

Declaring drought will see the Environment Agency and water companies implementing more of their plans to manage the impacts of low water levels, which can include actions such as hosepipe bans.

A four-day amber warning for extreme heat from the Met Office is in place for much of England and Wales until Sunday with warnings of health impacts and disruption to travel.

There is also a heat health alert in place from the UK Health Security Agency, with experts advising people to look out for older people or with existing health conditions, as well as young children.