UK weather: Northern Ireland 'breaks temperature record' for third time in a week
The all-time temperature record in Northern Ireland edges up for the third time in seven days as 31.4C (88.5F) is recorded in Armagh, while other parts of the UK also continue to swelter during the hottest period of the year so far.
Thursday 22 July 2021 18:20, UK
Northern Ireland has provisionally broken its temperature record for the second day in a row - and the third time in a week.
Armagh reached 31.4C (88.52F) at 3.20pm this afternoon, according to the Met Office, beating the 31.3C (88.34F) in Castlederg in County Tyrone on Wednesday.
The record was first broken on Saturday when 31.2C (88.16F) was recorded in Ballywatticock.
An amber warning for extreme heat remains in force today and tomorrow in Northern Ireland, but the same warning in parts of southern England, the Midlands, and most of Wales ends later.
The top temperature on Thursday in England was 30.7C (87.26F) in Derbyshire, while Scotland recorded 28.8C (83.84F) in Dumfries and Galloway.
The UK heatwave will start to break up from Friday, when it will turn cooler in the East and South East, but western regions will stay hot.
It's all change at the weekend, though, when there's a yellow warning for heavy rain and thundery showers in central and southern parts of England and Wales.
The Met Office says these could be "widespread and torrential" on Sunday.
Some parts could see up to 10cm (3.9in) of rain, and the Met Office said "lightning and hail are expected to be additional hazards".
As people continue to head to the sea, lakes and rivers to cool off, at least 17 people have now died in the water since Saturday, according to a charity.
The Royal Life Saving Society UK said it was aware of 17 incidents of accidental loss of life between 17 and 20 July.
There have been two more reports of people going missing in the water who haven't been found yet.
All the incidents were in England, apart from one in Northern Ireland.
People have been warned about the dangers of cold water shock and urged to take time to get acclimatised to the water temperature before jumping in.
Organisations such as the RNLI have issued in its "float to live" campaign.
Looking further ahead for the UK forecast, a mix of sunny spells and heavy showers is expected from the middle of next week into August, according to the Met Office.
But towards the middle of the month it should become more settled, with drier and warmer conditions forecast.