Record temperature last week

The Big County enjoyed its hottest day in May for more than 50 years last Friday.

The temperature on May 26 was 28.9C and the Strathallan weather watcher, Norman Pedgrift, had to look back well into the last century to find records anywhere near it for a temperature reading taken in May.

He explained: “Nearly as high as last Friday was the day before, Thursday, May 25, which was 28.2C.

“And overnight into Friday it stayed up at 13.5 as the minimum temperature - I think we were warmer than Malta.

“Friday 26 was certainly the hottest for 2017 so far, but that’s not all: the top temperature over the whole of 2016 was July 16, when it was 28.3. So last year’s best has already been beaten.

“Before that, in 2013 the record temperature was 31.1, again for a July day.

“I am not aware that Perthshire has got hotter than that.

“When I cast my eye back over previous May readings there is nothing close to what we’ve just had.

“It got to 23.3 in 2016, 25.1 in 2010, 25.8 in 1990, and 25.6 in 1978.”

The retired geography teacher does not have his own records beyond that, so it is arguable when a more mercury-busting day in the month of May was noted before that.

Norman summed up Perthshire’s weather over the last month.

He added: “May 2017 overall was very dry, with just five days of rain.

“An inch fell over four days, which was good for our gardens.

“Most would agree the soil was really feeling the need for moisture.”