Here comes the sun... as summer ends

EVEN by Scottish standards this summer has been a washout.

But with the arrival today of the Autumn equinox, the clouds are set to part and we will welcome a five-day Indian summer.

The mercury will hit 21c (70f) in parts of the country tomorrow, according to weather experts, making it the hottest weekend of September so far – and only one degree cooler than the Spanish city of Barcelona.

There will be a frosty start today but warm air from the continent will blow in throughout the afternoon, pushing temperatures to an above average 16c (61f).

The mercury is set to creep up again tomorrow, peaking mid-afternoon in the Central Belt, before dipping back to 20c (68f) on Sunday.

It will then drop to 17c (63f) on Monday and Tuesday – although this temperature is still above average for this time of year. Forecaster the MeteoGroup said this month’s high so far was 20.6c (69f), recorded on September 3 at Kinloss, Moray.

Meteorologist George Goodfellow said: ‘Friday is the official start of autumn but temperatures will increase. Saturday looks like 20c or perhaps 21c in the North-East.’

Sadly, it is not all fun in the sun – the Met Office warns that despite the warm weather, rain is also expected today, travelling from west to east, although most of the country will be basking in sunshine tomorrow.

More rain and cloud is then expected on Sunday and Monday, with strong gales in the North-East.

The Met Office’s Emma Sharples said: ‘An Indian summer is normally well into October, but a continental airflow means it will feel more pleasant this weekend after a lot of autumnal showery weather so far. Most parts [of Scotland] will have a lot of dry and bright weather. Sunday sees some rain in the west, fading into Monday.’

Scotland’s summer has largely been a washout, with rainfall 70 per cent higher than average in parts of the Central Belt.

The Mail revealed two weeks ago that Glen Shiel, Ross-shire, was deluged with a record 28in (727mm) of rain. According to the Met Office, this has been the highest since records began in the area in 1967.

It has also been Scotland’s fifth-wettest summer overall since 1910.

The downpours meant some sheep farmers struggled to shear their animals.

Farmer Glenys Macmillan, 70, who lives in Achnagart, Ross-shire, with husband Donald, 79, said: ‘I’ve lived here since 1979 and this is the wettest summer I can remember. It’s been pretty continuous rainfall. We’ve got 200 sheep and they’ve been so wet and waterlogged that we’re behind with the shearing.’