25.7◦ Sacre bleu! Scotland’s hotter than St Tropez
SIZZLING Scotland basked in a balmy 25.7C yesterday – hotter than the French Riviera resort of St Tropez.
Crowds flocked to beauty spots to make the most of the sunshine on the hottest day of the year so far.
Temperatures at Cassley in Sutherland reached 25.7C (78F) – the second highest in the UK.
Kinlochewe in Ross-shire was just behind with 25.6C and Fyvie Castle in Aberdeenshire, where locals enjoyed the sizzling heat, peaked at 25.4C.
Although the sun did shine in St Tropez yesterday, it was colder at 21C (70F).
As temperatures rose in Scotland, people thronged beaches, parks and tourist spots. Portobello beach in Edinburgh was mobbed, with children playing in the sand, eating ice cream and paddling in the sea to cool down. Visitors to the Borders enjoyed the view over the Cheviot Hills during an alpaca trek, while Loch Ness was packed with daytrippers making the most of the spring weather.
Alexander Brown, 23, and his girlfriend Elle Doig, 21, from West Lothian, enjoyed a cooling dip in the Invernessshire loch.
Mr Brown said: ‘It’s our first time here and its absolutely glorious. Who needs to go abroad when the weather is like this?’
Elsewhere, Scots dusted down their barbecue grills, while others lapped up the sun in beer gardens.
Although yesterday saw glorious weather across the country, today may be less sunny, with some storms expected in many areas. It will also be cooler. A Met Office spokesman said: ‘It was a beautiful day of sunshine across Scotland – in fact some of the warmest places in the UK were all in Scotland. Cassley in Sutherland recorded a high of 25.7C.
‘A dry night is forecast to follow, although low cloud, mist and fog is expected to affect eastern coasts overnight. Sunday will start cloudy along eastern coasts but fine and sunny elsewhere. Into the afternoon, scattered thundery showers will develop across western Scotland before more persistent rain merges with this into the evening.
‘Eastern areas are expected to remain dry with sunny spells. It will be a little cooler, with a high of 23C [73F] expected.’
The Met Office warned people in areas with a yellow warning of thunderstorms in place that the torrential rain could cause disruption, especially to travel.
Motorists have been advised that spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and they should be prepared for road surfaces becoming slippery.
There is also the possibility of power cuts in some areas.