Northern Ireland enjoys hottest day of the year so far as temperature reaches 24.5 degrees in Co Tyrone

The warmest place in Northern Ireland was in Castlederg, Co Tyrone where the mercury reached 24.5 degrees centigrade.

While it been a superb spell of weather in the Province over the past few days, today’s record is still nearly seven degrees cooler than the highest temperature ever recorded in Northern Ireland, also in Castlederg, when it reached 31.3C last July.

The highest temperature in the entire UK was in Porthmadog, North Wales, where it was 24.9C, beating Sunday’s 2023 record of 24.4C in Plymouth.

Scotland also recorded its highest temperatures of the year so far at 24.4C in Tyndrum, Stirling.

Met Office senior meteorologist Rachel Ayers said: “It’s been a fine, bright day with warm sunshine across much of the country.

“High pressure centred to the west of the UK is bringing settled weather, clearer skies and generally drier conditions.”

However, cloud in eastern coastal regions and an onshore breeze from the north east resulted in cooler temperatures of around 13C on the Kent and north east coasts.

Ms Ayers said: “The wind is coming off the North Sea, blowing into eastern areas. That’s why it’s clear in the west and cooler in the east.

“Through tonight, clouds are going to push further west, meaning a lot of Wales and south-west England, who have enjoyed wall-to-wall sunshine in recent days, will be waking up to clouds.”

Over the next few days, there will continue to be an east-west split. “The west will be the best with the highest temperatures and best of the sunshine, and it will be cooler and cloudier in the east,” said Ms Ayers.

While temperatures are predicted to remain similar, anyone hoping to head to the south east coast to soak up the sun over the half-term break may be disappointed.

Ms Ayers said: “Blustery north-easterly offshore winds over the next few days will make it feel cooler for anyone down at the beach for half-term.”

Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said May has been “very dry” with “just slightly more than half the normal amount of rainfall we would actually expect”.