Summer’s here at last (all 24 hours of it)

SCOTLAND is finally poised to enjoy summer, with temperatures expected to soar to 72f (22c) across much of the country today.

But for those set to swap the woolly jumpers, coats and brollies for shorts and T-shirts, the advice is simple – don’t.

For this brief taste of summer will only last one day – and will immediately be replaced by more rain and gale-force winds.

However, it will be a different story south of the Border, where huge swathes of England will roast in 86f ( 0c) heat.

Yesterday, Met Office spokesman Emma Sharples advised Scots to ‘grab and enjoy it’ while they can. She said: ‘Scotland has been wet and windy and not summer-like, so a summery, sunny Saturday for most of the country will be a welcome change, due to warm air from the Azores.

‘But afterwards, Scotland will see cooler conditions than in the South of the UK. A frontal system will bring rain and windier conditions on Sunday, with brisk winds into next week in the North-West.

‘By contrast, it is going to be extremely hot and sunny across many parts in the South, where warm wind will sweep in from Spain and spark a return of the good weather.’

Unless there is a sudden and dramatic change, Met Office figures suggest Scotland is on course for the coolest summer since the early 1970s.

The washout summer has already seen the mercury dip 2f below the full summer average. The average temperature between June 1 and July 1 north of the Border was only 5 f – two degrees below the 55f (12.6c) normally seen.

STV weather presenter Sean Batty has already written off the summer, saying: ‘We haven’t really had a good week all summer – and the longer range forecast doesn’t look promising either.’