SCOTLAND is set for the "hottest weather of the year" later this week after a period of wet and windy conditions.
Temperatures across the country are expected to climb to the late 20s by Friday, as some areas could potentially reach as high as 28C.
It comes after a period of wet weather which saw a yellow weather warning in place, and heavy downpours and thunderstorms forecast across much of the country.
The central belt is more likely to see warmer temperatures on Friday, as STV weatherman Sean Batty said highs of around 28C are not "out of the question" in areas such as the Moray coast, Perth, Glasgow, Stirling, Edinburgh and East Lothian.
Batty said Scots could see "the hottest weather of the year" so far and that temperatures could "potentially [climb] to their highest levels since summer 2023".
Writing for STV News, he said: "To put that in context, the highest temperature recorded in 2024 was 28C at Oyne in Aberdeenshire on June 24. And of course, the record-breaking summer of 2023 saw a scorching 34.8C at Charterhall in the Borders – the highest temperature ever recorded in Scotland.
"Hitting 30C in Scotland is rare. In fact, it’s only happened in nine of the last 20 years, and just 23 times in the past 85 years. However, some models are hinting that we could get close to that mark by the end of June, with further pulses of hot air possible."
Batty added that temperatures in the evening could remain in the high teens and be "uncomfortably mild", particularly across the west Highlands, Argyll and Bute, Ayrshire and the Moray coast.
Tony Wisson, a deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “Over the next few days, settled weather and warm sunshine will allow temperatures to rise day on day.
“Temperatures will then rise further towards the end of the week as winds turn more southerly and even warmer air over continental Europe will be drawn across the UK."
