Northern Ireland weather: Met Office forecast for a busy week of outdoor events including NW200
Northern Ireland could enjoy its warmest temperatures of the year so far over the next few days.
The news will be welcomed by those planning to attend outdoor events, including the North West 200 bike races which will see thousands of people heading to the north coast.
Met Office forecasters say much of Wednesday will be dry with some hazy sunshine. However, thickening cloud may bring some patchy rain from the southwest later in the afternoon. It will be warm, with a maximum temperature of 17 °C.
Wednesday evening will be cloudy with outbreaks of rain which will clear away towards midnight. The rest of the night will be dry with clear periods and a minimum temperature of 12 °C.
Thursday looks set to be a warm and dry day in all areas of Northern Ireland with some spells of hazy sunshine. The maximum temperature is forecast to be 18 °C.
The outlook for the weekend looks good too, with forecasters saying Friday will be dry with some warm sunshine. It will remain largely dry with some very warm sunshine over the weekend, although the odd shower may break out on Sunday.