Record heat fails to reach Scotland as thunder and lightning sweeps in
It was a tale of two countries the hottest summer solstice on record in England, while thundery downpours drenched parts of Scotland.
Temperature sr each ed 34.5c at Heathrow Airport on the longest day of the year, which was also June’s hottest in the UK for 40 years.
However, it remained nearly 1C lower than the monthly record, of 35.6C in Southampton during the drought of 1976.
North the Border, conditions were at best 15C cooler, with temperatures expected to dip to 9C in parts of the Highlands last night.
Thunderstorms and heavy rain swept in from the west, drenching parts of Argyll before moving eastwards. In Edinburgh, the downpour was so heavy last night that audience members at the Kings Theatre said the noise of rain on the roof almost drowned out the actors on stage.
Social media was awash with comments. Twitter user @ davidtjpowell wrote: “Is Scotland getting all of England’s rain from the heat? It’s become monsoon season up here.”
And @sean_g92 said: “Just watched the news and saw everyone from England complain about the heat whilst up here in Scotland we just had to turn on the heating.”
Flood alerts – the lowest level of warning – were issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency for the Central Belt southwards, along with Tayside and the nort- east.
The Met Office warned of the potential for torrential downpours, frequent lightning, very large hailstones and strong gusts of wind, which could cause flooding and temporary disruption of power supplies.
Chief meteorologist Steve Willington said: “The high pressure that has dominated our weather of late is starting to move away, allowing fresher air in from the west. A cold front that will pass through the UK will mark an end to the hot spell of weather in the south and bring cloudier skies and lower temperatures.”
In Scotland, temperatures are due to fall progressively until Saturday.