That moment we’ve been waiting for
People have been enjoying the sunshine as lockdown eased on the warmest day of the year so far in Scotland.
The mercury hit 26.2C in Aviemore in the Highlands before noon yesterday, while Aboyne in Aberdeenshire and Achnagart in the Highlands recorded high temperatures of 26C and 25.8C respectively.
Forecasters said temperatures could rise even higher before the end of the day and could reach up to 28C.
It comes as lockdown rules are relaxed meaning people are now allowed to sit and sunbathe in local parks and meet family and friends outdoors.
People headed to parks and beaches to meet friends and family for the first time in months.
Katie Campbell, 36, was enjoying the sunshine at Portobello beach near Edinburgh with her father and twins.
She said: “It’s been really good to get away from the house.”
The warm weather is expected to continue over the next few days.
Met Office forecaster Alex Burkhill, said: “Tomorrow temperatures are probably going to go down a degree or two but it will still be very warm and well above average for the time of year, it could be 26C or 27C.
“After that I think the temperature will be dipping and on Sunday it could be 25 to 26C and on Monday it will dip further.
“Also where the hot weather is will change. Today it is quite widespread but tomorrow it will be more towards the north and west while the east will be a bit fresher.”
He added: “UV levels are also high at the moment so people do need to be aware that if they go out in the sun they should have some protection.”
The UK has recorded the sunniest spring since records began in 1929, the Met Office has said. It is also set to be the driest May for 124 years, with official figures on rainfall to be published on Monday.
The Met Office recorded more than 573 hours of sunshine this spring so far between 1 March and 27 May, beating the previous record of 555.3 hours in 1948.
The sunny weather is set to continue until the end of the month.
This month has also seen little rainfall, with Northamptonshire – the driest county so far – recording only 1.5mm of rain during May.
As a result, many farmers have seen some cereal crops already suffering from the dry spell.
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) said: “Continued low rainfall and high temperatures into the summer will result in more widespread impacts for agriculture and the environment.”
It continued: “The situation is becoming increasingly serious for the growth of rain-fed grass and cereal crops across the country, made worse by the wet winter that led to the planting of more spring crops which are now struggling because of falling soil moisture levels.”
It comes after the Met Office recorded the wettest February on record, as heavy rainfall from Storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge caused flooding in many parts of England and Wales.
Dr Mark Mccarthy, from the Met Office’s national climate information centre, said: “Spring 2020 has been very dry, and May in parts of England has been exceptionally dry.
“As it stands up to 27 May, May 2020 is the driest May on record since 1896.”
Despite the drier conditions, there are no plans for hosepipe bans in England, with the Environment Agency (EA) stating on Thursday that most water companieshave“appropriate” water reserves.
An EA spokesman said: “We work closely with all water companies throughout the year to ensure their drought plans are up to date and activated as needed.”
The Met Office said there have been only nine UK springs recording more than 500 hours of sunshine since records began.
“As it stands up to 27 May, May 2020 is the driest May on record since 1896.”
DR MARK MCCARTHY