Northern Ireland reached heatwave criteria yesterday by exceeding 25°C for three days
The Met Office has explained why Northern Ireland hasn’t been feeling the same heat as the rest of the UK.
On Thursday, the forecaster said that temperatures in some parts of the country could climb to 29°C, the hottest day so far as part of the current heatwave.
However, with parts of England and Wales currently facing a red extreme heat warning, the Met Office said previous cloudy days have contributed to lower temperatures.
A spokesperson told Belfast Live that the cloud “reduced any residual heat getting trapped under the clearer skies further across England and Wales”.
They said: “Much of the heat and the hottest temperatures that the UK experiences come from mainland Europe… as Northern Ireland is mostly coastal, this keeps temperatures here relatively cooler than further southeast.”
Northern Ireland reached its heatwave criteria on Wednesday by exceeding 25°C for three days in a row in Castlederg.
Temperatures on Thursday have already exceeded this by reaching 27.8°C and is likely to go higher as it reaches close to 30°C on Thrusday evening.
The Met Office spokesperson continued: “The highest June on record for Northern Ireland is 30.8 Celsius in Knockarevan, which could be at risk of getting broken but is a low probability at this time.
“It’ll start to cool off from tomorrow with a thundery breakdown into the weekend, before a westerly wind will introduce a weather front, bringing cooler and less mild air across the UK, returning temperatures to close to average.”
A yellow warning for thunderstorms had been across the country from midnight to 10am on Friday, June 26, following the period of hot weather.
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