Warmest October day in NI for half a century

Northern Ireland has recorded its warmest October day in over 50 years.

Thermometers in the village of Derrylin in County Fermanagh climbed to 22.5C on Sunday.

The last time it was that warm in the same month was on 10 October 1969 when 24.1C was recorded in Strabane, County Tyrone.

Thomastown, also in County Fermanagh, recorded 22C on Sunday, as did Killowen in County Down.

On Sunday night, minimum temperatures at both Stormont and Killowen, County Down, equalled the warmest night on record in Northern Ireland.

Temperatures dropped no lower than 16.6C, a record previously set on 1 October 1985 at Aghanloo in County Londonderry.

Unseasonably warm conditions over the weekend resulted in temperatures being about 8C above normal for the time of year.

The higher than average temperatures will persist over the next few days, with temperatures reaching the low twenties again on Monday, and the high teens on Tuesday.

Normal, cooler conditions, are forecast to return from Wednesday.

Northern Ireland recently experienced its joint warmest September on record with an average temperature of 14.2C.

That matched previous records set in 2006 and 2021, about 1.6C above the normal average for September.