Weeks of showers as NI’s extreme heatwave ends

The hottest temperature in Northern Ireland as of 5pm today was 23.1 Celsius, recorded at Killowen in Co Down.

And the runner up was Murlough, also in Co Down, where temperatures hit 22.1C.

However, this is a steep drop from the day before, when a reading of 28.2C was made at Armagh city.

Prior to the recent heatwave, Northern Ireland’s hottest temperature ever had been 30.8C – a record which was reached twice.

That reading had first been made on June 30, 1976, and then was equalled on July 12, 1985.

It then stood for another 36 years – until this month, when the record was smashed, not once, not twice, but three times.

The first was 31.2C on July 17 at Ballywatticock, beside Strangford lough in Co Down.

Then on July 21, Castlederg hit 31.3C.

And finally, the new record was set on July 22 in Armagh city: a scorching 31.4C.

But those days are behind us, meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey of the Met Office

“We’ve definitely shifted away from the determined high pressure of last week and early this week,” he said.

“We’re definitely now into more changeable conditions. We’re going to see more low pressure and scattered showers in the run of things for the weekend.

“That will continue through the first half of August –a mix of dry and sunny weather and showers, with temperatures back down towards normal.

After that, the confidence of their forecasting becomes less certain, but there’s a “tentative” chance for “high pressure to become a bit more dominant again” for the second half of August.

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