A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms is in effect for all of Northern Ireland on Friday, the Met Office announced. The warning runs from 10am to 10pm.

The forecaster said scattered thunderstorms may develop, particularly in the afternoon and early evening, with the west of the region most at risk. Where storms occur, they could bring heavy rain, large hail, gusty winds and frequent lightning.

Some locations could see 15-30mm of rainfall in a short period.

The warning follows a period of hot weather that saw Northern Ireland meet official heatwave criteria. Temperatures exceeded 25C for four consecutive days, with Thursday the warmest.

Castlederg in County Tyrone recorded 30.8C, matching the Northern Ireland June record previously set in 1976 at Knockarevan, County Fermanagh. The all-time Northern Ireland record remains 31.3C, set in Castlederg in July 2021.

Other high temperatures included 29.5C at Derrylin and Thomastown, both in County Fermanagh.