Warm welcome for hottest day of the year

SCOTLAND enjoyed its warmest day of the year so far yesterday, with the North-East hitting 21C (70F).

But as Fyvie Castle, in Aberdeenshire, recorded the top temperature north of the Border, in London, St James’s Park reached a sweltering 29.1C (84F).

The conditions – caused by a plume of tropical air from the Azores – made it the UK’s hottest April day since 1949 – with the mercury climbing higher than in Rome and Barcelona.

Becky Mitchell of the Met Office said: ‘It’s been a scorcher. In England, it was wall-towall sunshine. But Scotland also recorded the warmest day of the year so far, with that 21C at Fyvie Castle.

‘The south-westerly winds tend to favour the North-East, which has seen the least amount of cloud across Scotland.’

But she added: ‘Not everywhere has seen that nice, warm, sunshine. Temperatures have varied a lot because of extensive cloud cover.

‘In Edinburgh, the weather station at the botanic garden registered 19.9C (67F), while Glasgow was a little bit cooler because of cloud at 16C (60F).’

The average maximum temperature for the UK in April is 11.9C (53F).

However, the average temperature in the South-East of England yesterday was 24C (75F). In comparison, Rome and Athens reached only 22C (71F).

Cheltenham Racecourse yesterday abandoned its three-mile two-furlong Mares’ Handicap.

A horse collapsed and died following a race earlier in the day.

Runners taking part in Sunday’s London marathon have been warned it could be the hottest yet. Miss Mitchell said today would see a ‘similar start’ to yesterday.

‘Thick cloud will linger over the NorthWest of Scotland but it’s an improving picture through the day,’ she said.

‘Most places will see some good sunshine, with a top temperature of around 19C (66F) around the Aberdeen area.’

It is 50 days since Scotland was hit by heavy snowfall as the Beast from the East weather system swept in.

The Scottish Government has just announced emergency aid for farmers after thousands of lambs and sheep died in the hills, suffocated by drifts.