Break out the BBQ!
Country to bask in 19C heatwave this weekend but Sepa fears lack of water
SCOTS will bask in a heatwave this weekend as temperatures soar to as high as 19C (66F).
Forecasters are predicting summery temperatures for most places tomorrow as the mercury hits the high teens across the country.
A wave of high pressure is forecast to bring fine and sunny weather around Scotland today and tomorrow, with light winds throughout the day.
In the far North-west today, there are likely to be some light showers which will quickly blow over and be replaced by sunshine everywhere in the early afternoon.
The mercury is expected to hit 19C in the East.
High pressure will stick with the country into tomorrow but an easterly breeze will make the day cooler towards the coasts.
Temperatures are again forecasted to climb to 19C in and around Glasgow – and yesterday the Met Office urged Brits who had yet to break out the barbecue to do so today due to the widespread sunshine.
They said: ‘If you’ve not had your first BBQ of the year yet, Saturday will be a great opportunity.’
The Met Office is also forecasting that the high temperatures could even continue into next week, with Glasgow expected to see temperatures of 18C (64F) on the Thursday.
This rise in temperatures comes after Scotland’s environment quango released an ‘early warning’ of water scarcity across part of Scotland.
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) published a report on Thursday which warned that with rainfall below average around the Moray coast, Aberdeenshire and Lothians water scarcity is set to increase.
Sepa had earlier this month warned that a dry winter has led to dwindling reservoir levels. The organisation’s maps show rainfall has been ‘very dry’ in some parts of southern Scotland in the past 180 days, and river flow has been ‘very low’ in the past 30 days.
Nathan Critchlow-Watton, of Sepa, said ‘we have to be prepared for increased pressure on Scotland’s water resources – perhaps in places that have never had to deal with water scarcity before’.