Northern Ireland 'Indian Summer' and Aurora Borealis all in the same week

The sparking sunshine on Monday which even saw dogs retreat to the shade at lunch time - will be a welcome respite for many across Northern Ireland after an exceptionally wet summer.

A Met Office forecaster told the News Letter: "It's looking like a fine spell of weather for most of Northern Ireland this coming week."From Monday into Tuesday night there will be a little bit more cloud around, drifting down from the north.

"But on Tuesday that cloud will lift and break and leave a fine picture with plenty of sunshine across Northern Ireland. "Temperature wise, it's going to be a pretty warm afternoon on Tuesday with temperatures around 20 or 21 degrees, so it will feel warm in those light winds. "And then it's more of the same as we head into Wednesday and Thursday as well, with lots of sunshine to come, winds still staying light.""We could see a bit of mist and fog around overnight but all in all, it is a really fine week of weather to come."Friday will be a little more uncertain, with more extensive cloud cover.

Although Saturday and Sunday are slightly outside the normal forecasting period, he said it looks like temperatures will be around 18C or 19C by day and it should stay largely dry.There is a chance of one or two showers on Saturday.

He added that although many media reports are describing this week as an Indian Summer, it is not a term the Met Office used."It has kind of got different meanings in different places. It's just, it's not a very meteorological term."

Looking at the long range Autumn forecast, he said October will be almost typical autumnal weather. "So there'll be a mixture of sun, dry weather, and also spells of rain. I think after this current week, it probably will turn more unsettled."

Meanwhile, the Met Office said that the Northern Lights may illuminate the sky over Northern Ireland on Monday night and early Tuesday morning this week.The lights, also known as aurora borealis, are most likely to be visible in areas of clear sky including in Scotland and Northern Ireland as well as northern parts of England and Wales, the forecaster said.For those hoping to spot the aurora, meteorologists have advised staying away from areas with light pollution and using a long exposure camera as they are better able to adapt to different wavelengths than the naked eye.

Met Office spokesperson Andrea Bishop said: “Aurora activity is expected to peak on Monday following the forecast arrival of a coronal mass ejection.“However, for the UK, this period is expected to coincide with daylight hours.

“Lingering effects are still likely to persist into Monday night and early Tuesday morning though, meaning that aurora is likely to be visible where skies are clear from Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as parts of England and Wales, mainly in the north.

“It’s not possible to predict how far south the coronal mass ejection may be seen or pick out cities, but in terms of visibility overnight, there are generally clear skies for most tonight,” she added.