Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
EL OF A HOT SPELL Temperatures in Northern Ireland to soar above 25C
TEMPERATURES could soar above 25C as Northern Ireland heads towards our hottest June in 42 years.
The scorching spell is likely to peak on Friday – predicted to be the warmest day of the year and on a par with parts of Spain.
The Met Office said yesterday that high pressure will sit over the UK until at least the end of June and possibly into July – the start of the school holidays.
Chief Meteorologist Frank Saunders added: “As warmer air from the continent moves in, temperatures will climb into the mid to high 20s, even in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland. Some places will very likely top 30C – it’s not unlikely somewhere could reach 32C.”
Highest temperature so far this year was 29.1C on April 19 in St James’s Park, London. The June record of 35.6C was set in 1976.
However, along with the warm weather comes a rise in pollen and ultra-violet radiation. Both are expected to remain very high for the foreseeable future. After a chilly start, today will hit 24C in London and the South East. This will rise to 25C on Sunday.
In Northern Ireland it could be a few degrees cooler but temperatures everywhere will be well above normal. The June average is 21C in London, 18C in Manchester and 17C in Scotland.
The Met Office’s Martin Bowles said: “We’re going to be widely four or five degrees above that tomorrow and the next day.
“Highs on Monday of 27C and on Tuesday of 28C are quite likely and somewhere will get 30C on Wednesday.” If temperatures go that high it will be as hot as Gibraltar and parts of southern Spain which are also forecast to hit 30C.
William Hill is offering odds of 4/6 that 2018 will be the driest since records began and 1/2 that it will be the hottest on record.
Spokesman Rupert Adams said: “The forecast suggests there will be no meaningful rainfall for the foreseeable future.”
ON WEATHER FORECAST