Barra Best

BBC News NI weather presenter

Pacemaker People sitting at Belfast City Hall on a sunny dayPacemaker

Temperatures of 25C are expected on Thursday and possibly up to 28C on Friday

Parts of Northern Ireland are set to record temperatures in the mid-20s over the next few days but it is not yet clear if it will be declared a heatwave.

This is because temperatures must reach 25C or above for three consecutive days for that to happen, according to the Met Office.

That threshold could be met, especially in western counties with about 25C expected on Thursday and possibly up to 28C on Friday.

However, temperatures look set to dip on Saturday with an expected temperature of about 23C.

Pacemaker A woman wearing headphones lying on grass with her arms crossed and eyes closed. She has dark hair, wearing a white t-shirt, jeans and trainers.Pacemaker

On Tuesday, many soaked up the sunshine on the grounds of Belfast City Hall

One or two spots could still reach 25C on Saturday but that will not likely be confirmed until later in the day.

The average maximum temperature during the day at this time of year is 17.8C in Northern Ireland.

Weather graphic map of UK. It shows the heatwave daily maximum temperature of three consecutive days. It ranges from 28C in southeast England to 25C in the rest of the UK.

Temperatures in parts of Britain, particularly southeast England are expected to reach 30C or higher in the coming days