A THUNDERSTORM warning has been issued for much of central and north-east Scotland, while heat alerts are in place south of the Border.
On Tuesday, the Met Office issued a yellow storm warning for north Glasgow, north Edinburgh, Stirling, Dundee, Aberdeen, Fife, Highland Perthshire, and the Angus coast.
Alerting Scots to incoming “thunderstorms and heavy showers”, the weather agency warned to expect:
- A small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.
- A chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services from flooding or lightning.
- Spray and sudden flooding that could lead to difficult driving conditions and road closures.
- A small chance that some communities become cut off by flooded roads.
The warning is in place from midday on Tuesday, August 4 until 10pm the same day.
⚠️ Yellow weather warning issued ⚠️ Thunderstorms across central and eastern Scotland Tuesday 1200 – 2200 Latest info 👉 https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs Stay #WeatherAware⚠️ pic.twitter.com/PUecgiHx5D
— Met Office (@metoffice) August 4, 2026
A separate yellow thunderstorm warning is then in place across the Cairngorms and Aberdeen from 10am on Wednesday, August 5 until 9pm that day.
Flood alerts have also been issued for Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City, central Dundee and Angus, Edinburgh and Lothians, Fife, Tayside, and west central Scotland.
The storm warnings in Scotland come at the same time as amber heat alerts in England. The warnings cover the East Midlands, east of England, south east, and London. Yellow heat health alerts have been issued for the north west, south west, West Midlands, and Yorkshire and The Humber.
The heat alerts will be in place from until 9am on Wednesday, August 5.
Amber alerts mean that “significant impacts” from hot weather are “likely”, with the UK Government warning of:
- A rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions.
- Likely increased demand on all health and social care services.
- The heat affecting the ability of the workforce to deliver services.
- Issues managing medicines.
- Increased demand for power exceeding capacity.
- A potential rise in water‑related incidents, including drowning.
Another climate record tumbled on Monday when the temperature reached 33.5C in Wisley in Surrey, marking the 20th day of 2026 when 32C or higher was recorded in the UK, exceeding the previous record of 19 days set in 1995, the Met Office said.
July was southern England’s driest month ever recorded, with the whole of Wales and half of England plunged into drought, while parts of eastern Scotland face pressures on their water levels.
Farming leaders have warned it is “one of the most severe droughts many farmers and growers have lived through”, with poor yields, struggles to access water for fruit and vegetables and livestock keepers using winter feed for their animals.
In July, 19 counties across England recorded effectively no rainfall – 1mm or less – across the whole of the month, the Met Office figures show.
The summer of extreme weather has seen two record-breaking heatwaves, in May and June, that led to more than 2800 excess deaths, and two more heatwaves in July which have fuelled drought and wildfires.
