A “short but intense” spell of hot weather is set to hit Northern Ireland this weekend, with temperatures set to slide into the 20s.
The hotter weather is set to arrive for the entire UK on Saturday and while Northern Ireland will escape the high of 33C expected in some parts of England, Belfast will still see sunshine.
According to forecasts, warm air will move up from Europe on Saturday and through Sunday and Monday, before temperatures dip again on Tuesday to average levels for this time of year.
England and Wales are expected to see temperatures hit the high 20s and low 30s, with high teens and low 20s are forecast for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Met Office spokeswoman Nicky Maxey said: “The hot spell is short-lived but quite intense.”
She added: “Temperatures are due to peak on Monday and rapidly return to average on Tuesday and Wednesday.”
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Much of the UK will be cloudy and humid on Saturday morning, but the north will see brighter spells and light showers.
The clouds will clear up throughout the day with warmer air moving in on Saturday evening.
Sunday and Monday are expected to be the warmest days, with highs expected to reach 31C in London, 25C in Manchester, 22C in Glasgow and 21C in Belfast.
According to the Met Office, Friday will see “sunny intervals and a few passing showers, but some spells of dry weather too. Brisk westerly winds. Maximum temperature 20C”.
In a statement to the Belfast Telegraph, a spokesperson added: “The temperatures are generally around normal for early to mid August”.
“The high temperatures will see a rise in pollen count throughout the country along with high UV levels.”
The short warm spell isn’t considered a heatwave as temperatures need to reach above a certain threshold for three consecutive days in order to meet the Met Office criteria.
Saturday’s forecast reads: “Mainly dry and bright on Saturday with the odd light shower. Mainly dry and warm on Sunday, but rain likely later, clearing away on Monday.”
In its longer range forecast, the Met Office predicts rain and showers will soon return after the imminent warmer spell.
“The associated fronts will bring spells of cloud and rain at times, perhaps occasionally accompanied by rather breezy or unseasonably windy conditions in places, but interspersed with brighter, more showery periods.
“Most of the wet weather will tend to be focused in the north and northwest, with longer drier spells further south and east.”
The hotter weather in August comes after Northern Ireland had its wettest July on record last month, with 185.4mm of rain falling, according to the Met Office.
It was more than double its long term average for the month, with the record previously held by July 1936 which recorded 185.2mm of rain.
Northern Ireland was not alone in the record books, joining Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside which also experienced their wettest Julys on record.
The wider UK experienced the sixth wettest July on record, with rainfall experienced consistently in almost every part of the country.
Forecasters also said in contrast to June’s record-breaking heat, July has been slightly cooler than average with a mean temperature of 14.9C, which is 0.3C cooler than the current 30-year meteorological averaging period (1991-2020).