Sub-tropical Scotland

Weekend of rain... then get set for ‘Azores High’

IT might not seem like it over the weekend – but Scotland’s summer is about to get a sub-tropical boost.

An area of high pressure from the south Atlantic is set to arrive by Wednesday, bringing a wave of warm air.

The so-called ‘Azores High’ means the washout conditions forecast for the next few days will be followed by at least a week of hot weather.

And the Met Office predicts it could remain ‘fine and dry’ into the start of August, heralding the prospect of an extended period of summer sunshine.

Stephen Dixon, of the Met Office, said yesterday: ‘Things are looking pretty unsettled for Scotland for the weekend but we will soon see things begin to pick up next week.

‘From Wednesday onwards, we are expecting much more settled conditions, with temperatures getting slightly above the July average for Scotland. The signal for the period beyond this is for further dry and warm weather going into August.

‘There is always the chance of some showers in the far NorthWest, but it’s looking very promising for the bulk of the country.’

The Azores High, an area of high pressure due to come up from the south Atlantic and settle to the west of Ireland, will also bring overnight temperatures of 14C (57F) – not far below the average July daytime temperature in Scotland of 17C (63F).

The south of England, meanwhile, will come under the influence of very high temperatures being generated on the Continent this weekend.

Forecasters warn that Spanish temperature records are likely to be broken in the coming days, with Seville, in the South of the country, expected to hit a high of 43C (109F) today.

While Edinburgh suffered torrential downpours last weekend, Scotland’s reservoirs are nevertheless beginning to feel the impact of a dry spring and a June which delivered less than half its usual monthly rainfall.

An early warning for water shortage is now in place over the majority of Scotland.