Dig out your jumpers, it’s frost in July!

Scots get taste of polar airstream while England hit by tropical front

SIR Billy Connolly once joked that Scotland has two seasons – June and winter.

And it seems his words are about to ring chillingly true, with last month’s sun set to be replaced with an Arctic blast today.

Forecasters have warned Scots to brace themselves for cooler days this week, with parts of the Highlands seeing temperatures plummet to zero this morning, with frost on the ground.

Temperatures are set to start at 7C (45F) today before scraping into double figures by the afternoon and into tomorrow, when cloud and rain will descend on much of the country.

The grim prediction comes despite England and Wales instead expecting a tropical heatwave and summer storms thanks to a weather front from Bermuda.

It means people south of the Border can expect almost a month’s rainfall over the next two days from Storm Edouard, which originated in the Atlantic and is moving north-east.

Forecasters say the depression, which has not hit any land, is due to fizzle out before the UK but will bring ‘warm air and moisture which will pep up existing weather systems’.

The warmest temperatures are expected in southern England, where it could reach 23C (73F) on Sunday and 24C (75F) on Monday.

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said a ‘dividing line’ is emerging between two types of air affecting the UK.

He added: ‘Scotland remains governed by the polar maritime air mass, coming down the Atlantic from Northern Canada.

‘The South, meanwhile, will be impacted by tropical maritime air, which is much warmer. Where the two meet is where you get heavy rain.

‘Scotland is looking cold for July. We are talking about places like Aviemore waking to a grass frost on Wednesday.’

However, the cold snap is not expected to last, with temperatures predicted to rise again by the weekend. This would come just after the planned easing of lockdown measures tomorrow that may see extended groups meet outdoors for the first time since March.

Mr Madge said: ‘The outlook for Thursday is good. One or two showers could prove a bit heavy but for most, it’s looking pretty clear. It should be bright and sunny, with wind speeds remaining very low.

‘We see high pressure building by Friday, which means things become settled and warmer for the weekend.

‘By Sunday, many parts of Scotland are looking at 18-20C (64-68F).’