Scotland is set for a scorcher this week as temperatures soar - thanks to weather coming from the Sahara desert.
The Met Office confirmed that the east coast could see highs of 27 degrees from Tuesday right through till Thursday.
Greater Glasgow and Ayrshire will bask under a slightly cooler 24 degrees.
The warm weather takes over thanks to a Saharan plume sweeping across southern Europe.
Met Office meteorologist Alexander Burkill told the Record: “While the highest temperatures will be further south, Scots can still expect significant warmth this week.
“On Tuesday there will be lots of sunshine right across Scotland, the only exception being the north-west of the country first thing in the morning.
“The east coast, including Edinburgh , much of Aberdeenshire and the Moray Firth area will see the best temperatures with highs of 27 degrees celsius.
“Towards the west it won’t be just as warm but still a very balmy 25 degrees.
“The west will be slightly cloudier than the east but all in all a warm, sunny day.”
Alexander warns that while the milder temperatures aren’t going anywhere till the weekend, thunderstorms will sweep the country on Tuesday night.
He said: “People should be aware that there’s a heavy risk of thunderstorms on Tuesday night going into Wednesday morning.
“Those in the northern parts of the country might still get caught up in heavy rain on their way to work in the morning, but that should clear quite quickly.
“They’ll start in the south around Dumfries and Galloway and work their way up through the night.”
He added: “While Wednesday will overall be a bit cloudier there will still be highs of around 27 in the east and 21 in the west.
“The east-west divide continues into Thursday with similar temperatures but a higher chance of isolated showers in the west.
“Even on Friday, the weather will be a little cooler but still relatively mild.
“There’s the chance of the odd shower but Edinburgh will have highs of 23 and Glasgow 20.”
Met Office staff predict temperatures will drop slightly in time for the weekend.
The best of the summer scorcher will descend on the south east of England, with London and the surrounding areas sweltering under 34 degrees during the week which should see Britain hotter than Barbados by Wednesday.
