Met Office latest on August 31 bank holiday weather forecast for Northern Ireland

The long-range weather forecast has been released

As the summer holidays begin to wind down, many of us are looking forward to the August Bank Holiday, which is the final official break before the Christmas period.

The three-day weekend is often seen as a last hurrah before heading back to school or work, but what people get up to often depends on the weather. With a number of heatwaves in Northern Ireland already this summer, some are asking whether another is on the way for August 31.

According to the Met Office, while it is still too early to tell for sure, there could be a chance of another heatwave later this month. However, it looks like there will be a split in conditions between northern and southern parts of the UK.

The long-range forecast from Thursday, August 20 until Saturday, August 29, the forecaster said conditions will be “changeable”, with many parts of the UK seeing showers or longer spells of rain.

Following this, high pressure will become increasingly probable over the north and west, including in Northern Ireland, with low pressure to the south of the UK.

The Met Office added: “This will lead to further spells of showers and longer spells of rain, but the north may see more in the way of drier conditions.

“Within this broad pattern, there is potential for Atlantic lows to spread across the UK at times, which would bring more widespread rain and perhaps strong winds. Temperatures are more likely to be above normal than below overall, though the possibility of widespread or exceptional heat is perhaps a little lower than in recent weeks.”

What will the weather be like for August Bank Holiday?

The Met Office said temperatures from Sunday, August 30 to Sunday, September 13 are likely to be “close to the climatological norm.”

The forecaster said this means a “broad northwest-southeast split in conditions, with the high becoming centred further to the south than in the latter part of August and with more changeable conditions developing towards the north and northwest. Meanwhile, drier, more settled weather is slightly more likely towards the south and east.”

It is expected that temperatures will “likely be near to or above average overall,” with a chance of “late season hot spells or heatwaves developing, especially in the south” of the UK.

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