Belfast (County Antrim) weather

Headline:

Cloudy with early rain clearing, then drier with sunny spells.

This Evening and Tonight:

Turning cloudy this evening with rain spreading across from the southwest. Rain will continue through the night, this occasionally heavy but turning light and patchy later. Minimum temperature 12 °C.

Friday:

An overcast and rather breezy day with rain at times. Rain will be mainly light during this morning but turning occasionally heavier in the early afternoon. Maximum temperature 17 °C.

Outlook for Saturday to Monday:

Cloudy with rain clearing southeast on Saturday, sunny spells following. Some bright or sunny periods on Sunday but risk of rain later. Changeable on Monday, some rain for a time.

A low pressure system runs near or across the northwest of the UK at the start of the period bringing some wetter, windier conditions to the northwest. Elsewhere a good deal of dry and very warm or hot weather at first, but it is possible the odd thunderstorm could develop in response to the heat before it turns cooler and fresher from the west by the middle of next week. Beyond this, conditions look like being rather changeable, with some drier spells but also some spells of rain and wind. There is also the chance of further very warm or locally hot and humid weather, as brief bursts of hotter air encroach from the continent, but probably fairly short-lived. Should these occur they bring with them the threat of thunderstorms.

Conditions will likely continue to be changeable through much of July. The wettest and windiest conditions look most likely towards the northwest with a risk of some heavy rain at times, especially over hills. Southern and eastern areas are most favoured for longer drier and more settled spells, although even here some rain or showers will be likely, perhaps heavy and thundery at times. There are signs of more widely settled weather during the second half of July, however this signal is very tentative. Temperatures are expected to be above average for most areas, especially towards the southeast where there will be an ongoing chance of some very warm or hot conditions at times.