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Wales and Northern Ireland see warmest August bank holiday on record, Met Office confirms

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A woman enjoys the sun in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, during the hot weather.
A woman enjoys the sun in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, during the hot weather. Picture: Alamy

By Josef Al Shemary

Wales and Northern Ireland have recorded their warmest ever August bank holiday with temperatures reaching just under 30C, the Met Office has confirmed.

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The two countries saw record temperatures on Monday, as the Met Office warned that the summer is on track to be the hottest on record for the UK.

The warmest temperature in Wales was recorded at Hawarden, Flintshire, at 29.1C on Monday, and it was 29.1C in Goggerdan earlier in the day.

These temperatures beat the previous record of 26.5C, recorded in Crossway, Gwent, in 1991.

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Meanwhile in Northern Ireland, Magilligan in County Derry/County Londonderry saw a temperature of 24.5C this bank holiday.

This is warmer than the record of 23.8C (74.8F) set in Banagher, County Derry/County Londonderry, in 1983.

No records were broken in England and Scotland, however.

The record for the hottest August bank holiday Monday for the UK and England was set in 2019, with a scorching 33.2C recorded at London’s Heathrow Airport as well as Cambridge Botanic Garden on 26 August 2019.

Scenic view of Rhossili Bay beach from Rhossili headland, a beauty spot on the Gower Peninsula, South Wales, UK.
Scenic view of Rhossili Bay beach from Rhossili headland, a beauty spot on the Gower Peninsula, South Wales, UK. Picture: Alamy

In Scotland, the record was set at Kelso, Roxburghshire, in 1984, with 25.6C (78F).

Four heatwaves have already been declared this summer as the UK heads for its warmest on record, but the hot weather is not expected to last much longer.

Shortly after the records were set on Monday, the weather quickly began to cool down across the nation as the remains of Hurricane Erin, which battered parts of the east coast of the US, reached Europe.

The storm, coming to the UK from the west, is set to hit the UK with high winds and heavy rain in the coming days.

According to the Met Office, Brits can expect the weather to become increasingly unsettled by the early to middle part of the week.

Wet and windy weather could be seen, with heavy downpours at times, and forecasters are monitoring it to decide whether to issue any rain warning nearer to the time, meteorologist Marco Petagna said.