An area of Scotland is expected to reach 28C by late afternoon on Thursday (August 13), but forecasters warn that heavy downpours and thunder are on the horizon. The warm spell that has taken over Scotland this week saw temperatures rise to 27C in Charterhall, Scottish Borders, and 26C in Kinloss, Moray, on Wednesday (August 12).
Mixed bag of weather
While Kelso in the Borders is predicted to hit 28C this afternoon, other regions are expected to be hit with heavy downpours. Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir expects today's weather to be a mixed bag. She said: "There will be some showers around first thing on Thursday, but notice thinner cloud and some sunshine coming through the central belt, eastern counties, and even further northwest."
Nasir added: "But the showers will never be too far away and they could turn heavy with the risk of thunder as we head through the afternoon. One or two could break out further east as well."
High UV levels
Nasir also noted: "Still that strong sunshine around and that will help temperatures up to 26C, 27C, perhaps 28C across the central belt and southern areas. Further north and west we could see 24C for the Moray Firth, 25C for Aberdeenshire, and 20C coming in across the Outer Hebrides as well as Orkney."
The town of Kelso is predicted to rise to 28C by 4pm this afternoon, with Jedburgh not far behind at 27C. Edinburgh and Inverurie are also expected to sizzle in 26C heat. The Met Office is warning Scots to protect their skin today as the UV level is set to be high. The warning states: "Seek shade during midday hours, cover up and wear sunscreen." This is important even if cloudy conditions occur as the sun's UV rays are still able to damage your skin through the clouds.
Cooler weekend ahead
Scots will want to make the most of today's warm weather as temperatures are expected to drop back down into the mid-teens this weekend. With temperatures currently predicted to sit around 18C on Saturday (August 15), Dundee will still be grasping onto the warm spell with a high of 20C. While these average temperatures are set to continue into next week, Scots are being warned that another large band of rain is expected to hit the country on Monday (August 17). So it looks like Scots will once again be switching the sunscreen for an umbrella.
