Scotland’s heatwave looks set to come to an abrupt halt next week as forecasters anticipate rain to return across the country.
Temperatures are set to remain in the late-teens and mid-20s for the remainder of the weekend and into Monday.
But Tuesday will see climates dip back down to their normal levels - bringing almost two weeks of tropical temperatures to an end.
Maximum temperatures could even plunge to 16C in the north east on Wednesday.
Much of the country is then expected to be hit with rain showers on Wednesday, which could become persistent in parts.
Thunder and lightning is forecast to hit the north of Scotland as the week draws to a conclusion.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms in the south of England as forecaster anticipate up to 80mm of rain to land over a 19-hour period on Sunday.
There is so far no weather warnings in place for Scotland.
Experts say that the rapid change to the weather will be caused by an area of low pressure moving into the country.
Met Office Principal Operational Meteorologist Frank Saunders said: “The warnings in place over the weekend show a marked shift in the weather pattern for many southern areas as low pressure moves in, with potential impacts for business and the public.
“This more unsettled weather brings a risk of torrential downpours and flooding in some places. However, areas further north will cling onto see some fine weather through the weekend, although not quite as hot as recently.”
The news of showers will be welcome news to some Scots after some parts of the country were put on red alert for drought during the heatwave.
Two areas in the north, Helmsdale and Naver, are facing “significant scarcity” of water, which is the highest warning issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).
Scottish Water also urged Scots to use water supplies ‘efficiently’ as the increased temperatures brought strain on infrastructure.
The hottest day of the year was recorded on Thursday, as temperatures peaked at a sweltering 29.3C in Threave in Dumfries and Galloway.
