Northern Ireland record warmest day of the year as bank holiday is set to be a scorcher
After a lovely weekend of weather, Northern Ireland is set to bask in even more glorious sunshine on Bank Holiday Monday, with figures forecasted to reach the mid-20s.
Met Office meteorologist Marco Petagna provided the good news as the forecast is set to bring blue skies to the province.
However, Northern Ireland won’t have the same figures in England and Wales, when potential peaks of between 33C and 34C are possible in both regions.
Records could be broken for the hottest May day in the UK and England, currently 32.8C; the hottest May day in Wales, currently 30.6C; as well as the UK and England’s hottest bank holiday, which sits for now at 33.3C.
The hottest day in Northern Ireland was back on May 31, 1922 when 28.3C was recorded in Lisburn – but that statistic is set to remain intact.
“An overnight mist will lift into Monday which will give Northern Ireland plenty of fine weather,” Mr Petagna said.
“At times, there could be hazy sunshine but it’s going to be warmer than the weekend and the temperatures could hit around 24 or 25C.
“It won’t be record-breaking figures for Northern Ireland like what could potentially happen in England and Wales… but it’s still going to be warm.”
The UK saw the hottest day of the year so far on Saturday when the village of Frittenden, in Kent, hit 30.5C.
It was the first time this year that the UK had passed 30C. The last time that happened in May was in 2012.
The highest figure recorded in Northern Ireland on Saturday was 20.5C at Helen’s Bay.
NI temperatures were even warmer today as the highest reading was 23.4C at Armagh – the top figure recorded in Northern Ireland so far this year.
On Sunday, the Met Office said heatwave conditions had been met in eight parts of England; Heathrow in Greater London, Benson in Oxfordshire, Brooms Barn in Suffolk, High Beech in Essex, Kew Gardens in London, Northolt in London, Santon Downham in Suffolk and Writtle in Essex.
The Met Office also said that Santon Downham was the first location to meet the criteria at around 11.30am – its heatwave threshold is 27C for three consecutive days.
It was closely followed by Heathrow at around 11.50am, whose criteria is three consecutive days at 28C. Temperatures in that area later climbed further to 30C.
Speaking to the Press Association, a Met Office spokesperson said: “We rarely see temperatures above 35C, even in the summer months, so to see temperatures getting close to 35 in May is, as I say, pretty historic.”
They added that overnight temperatures could also lead to records being broken, staying above 20C and being “uncomfortable for sleeping”.
Caroline Abrahams, Age UK charity director, said: “We can all help older people stay safe during periods of hot weather by checking in on older relatives, friends and neighbours to see if they need anything or are struggling with the heat.
“Offering to pick up shopping or medication, or even lending a fan, can make a real difference.”