Could this be hottest June day in history?
BRACE yourselves – the sizzling summer heatwave continues today and we could be basking in the hottest June day ever.
Temperatures are set to soar as high as 90F (32C), nudging a record that has stood for 125 years.
Scotland’s hottest June day was recorded at Ochtertyre, Perthshire, on June 18, 1893, when the mercury hit 90F (32.2C). Beatrix Potter was nearby in Dunkeld at the time writing The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Queen Victoria was on the throne.
But there is an outside chance that heat record could be smashed today, with Aviemore, Inverness-shire, predicted to see at least 86F (30C) this afternoon.
The sunny prediction was tweeted by the Met Office yesterday. Chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: ‘For the first time this year we have seen temperatures very locally top 30C (86F), with 30.1C on Monday. However, we are anticipating that temperatures will increase further over the next couple of days and remain high by the weekend. It’s possible that some locations could reach 32C (89.6F).
‘The focus for the highest temperatures is expected to shift towards the West of the UK into the middle of the week, and then North-West, before temperatures potentially begin to hot up again in the South of England over the weekend.’
Many of Scotland’s schools will begin closing for the summer holidays today, with families flying off to hot spots such as Spain, Greece and the United States, as well as to sunny towns and cities south of the Border.
Should very high temperatures materialise today or tomorrow, health authorities are expected to issue warnings to take care of the young, very old and those with chronic diseases. A noticeable difference will be high temperatures overnight, which will make sleeping difficult for many. A number of areas will remain at 60F (15C) tonight, the average daytime temperature for June in Scotland.
Bonnie Diamond of the Met Office said: ‘Over the next few nights people will have to keep their windows open – if that makes any difference. Glasgow will hover between 27C and 29C (80 to 84F) but Edinburgh will be noticeably cooler at 19C (66F).’
Meanwhile, police in Fife have issued an anti-social behaviour warning that underage drinking and violence will not be tolerated ahead of an end-of-term gathering for school pupils at Silver Sands Beach in Aberdour.
And ScotRail is taking precautions to prevent disruption on its Glasgow to Ayrshire services by youths heading to the beaches at Ayr, Troon and Prestwick.
A spokesman said: ‘Anti-social behaviour at our stations and onboard our trains is unacceptable.’