Weather: Temperatures to rise in Northern Ireland throughout the week as positive outlook is given for Twelfth of July demonstrations
As the UK enters its third heatwave in as many months this week – temperatures in Northern Ireland will not be as warm as those experienced back in June.
The update was provided by the Met Office who say the weather this week in the province will be “nothing too crazy” and “nothing too silly”.
It comes after the province recorded its joint hottest June day ever as a reading of 30.8C was obtained in Castlederg on June 25.
Whilst temperatures won’t reach those sorts of numbers this week, the weather will gradually improve as the days pass.
“After a pretty mild night on Monday into Tuesday, we'll see clouds break up through the morning,” Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge explained.
"It might take all morning for the cloud to break up, but then into the afternoon, you can see some bright, sunny spells.
“Temperatures on Tuesday will be around 21 or 22 degrees, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a 23 somewhere, so it's a gradual sort of day-on-day sort of creeping up of the temperatures.
"There will be some fair weather cloud around at times, but plenty of bright, sunny spells, light winds on Wednesday.
"You're probably looking around more like 24, 25 degrees for a maximum temperature.
"Thursday is very similar. Again, there will be variable amounts of cloud, but plenty of sunny spells in amongst it, light winds.
"If anything, I suspect it's a touch warmer, so 25, 26 as the high temperature.
"There's a little question mark on Friday because there's a little band of rain that may or may not just get into the far north and west on Friday.
"So mostly dry, but possibly a bit cloudier on Friday with a risk of a little bit, and it is just a little bit of rain out towards the north and west...but I think in terms of temperature, it's not going to make too much difference.
"Maybe the north and west will be a bit cooler, but eastern parts of Northern Ireland could be up 26, 27 by the time we get to Friday but that's where it will peak.”
Mr Partridge says weekend temperatures here will depend on “a little band of rain out to the west”, which could see figures reach low 20s, or if avoided, mid 20s.
So, can those attending the Twelfth of July demonstrations next Monday expect good weather?
"As we go into next week, the area of high pressure that's been creating all the dry, fine weather actually does build in from the north beginning of next week,” Mr Partridge continued.
"So actually, northern parts of the UK will be pretty decent, so you're looking at fine, dry conditions by the looks of it.
“It'll be a bit fresher because the way the high pressure is...but you're still going to be around 20, 21 degrees.”
Elsewhere, parts of southern England could reach up to 35C in the latter part of the week, just a couple of degrees shy of the searing 37.7C peak reached during the June heatwave.
However, this week’s temperatures will not trouble the record books, with the 40.3C peak recorded in Coningsby, Lincolnshire, in July 2022 set to remain the UK’s hottest ever day.