Northern Ireland weather: Temperatures set to rise to 25-26C on Friday and heat wave expected

News of an expected UK heatwave comes as we are asked to keep ‘tissues and tablets when u head out’ today if you have hayfever with the pollen count high, according to Jonathan Vautrey, Met Office Meteorologist.

He added that ‘pollen levels are going to be widely high’ in the UK.

See here for information on pollen levels

According to the Met Office much of the UK will be in heatwave conditions by the coming weekend says the Met Office.

Heat will build through the week.

"On Wednesday the highest temperatures values in the UK are expected to be around 27ºC.

And on Thursday this will rise to 29ºC and by Saturday increasing more locations will exceed heatwave values, with the highest temperatures expected to exceed 30ºC.

Meanwhile, today any in Northern Ireland it it will soon ‘pick up in temperatures to 20C but get even hotter in south east England with temperatures of 26C’.

He added that tonight will be a ‘mild night for all of us with temperatures between 12-15 C’.

He added that, ‘on Tuesday after a band of rain moves out of the way, we will see nigh pressure move in for all of us as the main driving force’.

And, according to the Met Office Northern Ireland today, after a cloudy start, we will enjoy ‘a dry day brightening up with sunny spells’.

However there will be ‘cloud thickening again towards evening’.

Today is expected to be ‘warmer’ with a ‘maximum temperature 22 °C’.

And tonight, we will have a ‘dry evening with cloud breaking up again for a time tonight’.

But then it will get ‘cloudier with some light rain spreading east in the early hours’.

There will be a minimum temperature of 13 °C.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) will see ‘cloud soon breaking up to bring a bright day with some sunny interludes’ however ‘one or two light showers are possible’.

There will be ‘moderate southwesterly winds at first easing’ and a ‘maximum temperature 20 °C’.

And the outlook for Wednesday to Friday is that ‘there will be a good deal of dry weather with some sunny spells on each day’ with ‘winds turning light and becoming warmer’ but ‘perhaps the odd shower on Friday’.

And looking further ahead, the forecast for Friday 20 Jun - Sunday 29 Jun is: ‘Most parts of the UK are expected to be fine and dry at the start of this period, with a low risk of thundery showers in the west.

‘Then a northwest to southeast split is likely to develop.

‘The wettest and windiest conditions are expected in the northwest, with rain at times which may be heavy in places.

‘It will likely be very warm or perhaps hot at first in the north, quickly becoming near normal or slightly above.

‘More settled in the southeast with conditions drier overall, although some rain will probably spread from the west or northwest at times.

‘There is also the risk that isolated heavy showers and thunderstorms could develop at times.

‘Temperatures are expected to be above normal, perhaps with some hot spells’.

And the forecast for Monday 30 Jun - Monday 14 Jul is: ‘A broad northwest to southeast split is likely during this period.

‘The wettest and windiest conditions are expected to be in the northwest, with a risk of some heavy rain at times.

‘More settled in the southeast with conditions drier overall, although some rain may spread across from the north or west at times and there is a risk of isolated heavy showers and thunderstorms as well.

‘Temperatures are expected to be near to or above normal, perhaps with some hot spells in the southeast’.