The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for rain across parts of Scotland moving into the weekend.
The forecaster has put the warning in place from 6am on Friday to 3pm on Saturday, as the heatwave finally subsides.
It covers the Central, Tayside and Fife, Highlands and Eilean Siar and Strathclyde regions.
The Met Office said persistent and heavy rain is expected to develop on Friday and overnight, before slowly easing up on Saturday.
Most areas could see 40 to 60mm of rain build up, with some mountain areas reaching over 100mm, the forecaster added.
“Rain will be accompanied by windy conditions, especially Friday daytime when gusts will reach 40 to 50mph around coasts and hills,” it added.
The forecaster warned driving conditions will be affected by spray and flooding, with journey times taking longer and potential disruptions to power and other services. Bus and train services may also be delayed.
“Preparing a flood kit could save you from loss or damage due to flooding to your home or business,” the forecaster added.
Residents should prepare not to travel by road during potentially dangerous road conditions, it said.
It comes after Scotland battled with intense wildfires across its Highlands for four days in a row as the UK and continental Europe experienced severe heatwaves.
The Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) warned that the fires were “a danger to human life” as stretched firefighters could not respond to other emergencies.
The UK saw the hottest day of the year on Tuesday with temperatures exceeding 34C.
The Met Office confirmed that 34.7C was recorded at St James’s Park in central London on Tuesday afternoon, beating the 34.4C recorded in Writtle, Essex, earlier in the day.
The hot weather marks the second heatwave for parts of the UK within the last month, with scientists warning the searing temperatures earlier in June were made 100 times more likely because of human-caused climate change.
Provisional Met Office figures, released on Tuesday, show England had its warmest June on record last month, while the UK experienced its second warmest since the series began in 1884 – only surpassed by June 2023.
However, cooler weather is forecast for the rest of the week, the Met Office said.
A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms was in place on Wednesday for north-east England and parts of Scotland.
Thursday is expected to see a split in the weather, with cool sunshine and frequent blustery showers across the North and mostly dry with warm spells of sunshine in the South.
There will be brisk winds and rain in the North on Friday, and it will be dry and sunny in the South.
Warning of possible flooding from storms as heatwave comes to an end
Thunderstorm weather warning issued by Met Office as heatwave finally ends
Greggs warns of profit hit as heatwave dents sales
Police force investigating more than 1,000 grooming gang suspects
Who are Palestine Action and why has the UK government banned them?
Starmer finally bolsters Reeves after her tears in the Commons spook markets
