Scotland has provisionally recorded its highest overnight November temperature since records began, with the Met Office confirming a high of 14.6°C at both Kinloss in Moray and Prestwick in Ayrshire on Thursday night into Friday morning. The previous record of 14.5°C was set in 2007 at Dyce in Aberdeen.
The warm airflow originated from west of Spain and moved up to Scotland, according to forecasters. The UK also experienced its warmest Armistice Day on record, with 19.1°C recorded in Lossiemouth, Moray, breaking the previous record of 17.8°C.
Northern Ireland saw its warmest November night on record, with 14.5°C recorded at Magilligan in County Londonderry, surpassing a record set in 1947. Gillean Keith, a senior operational meteorologist at the Met Office in Dyce, said: 'We are certainly seeing quite a mild spell for November.' She noted that the wind warmed as it passed over Scotland's mountains, adding: 'We are seeing a warming trend, although we can never attribute one particular event to climate change.'
The Scottish SPCA believes warmer weather may be benefiting wildlife such as hedgehogs and bats. Senior wildlife assistant Nicole Molloy said: 'Last October we had 114 hedgehogs, skinny, weak, unwell, and this year we've had 42 hedgehogs, not as bad as last year.' She explained that hedgehogs typically hibernate in October when temperatures drop to 5°C and below, but added: 'We are not really seeing that,' noting it has been an emerging pattern in recent years.
