Dreams of sunshine for Midsummer evaporate

IT MAY have been one of the longest days of the year, but it was certainly not the hottest, as the Summer Solstice was a washout across most of Scotland yesterday.

Flood alerts were issued for Aberdeen, Central region, Dundee and Angus, Fife and Tayside by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

The date 21 June marks the point when the Earth is tilted at its closest point to the Sun, meaning the northern hemisphere is meant to get more sunlight than any other day of the year.

However, thousands of people who got up at dawn to celebrate at locations across Scotland found a wet and drizzly sunrise. Two notable exceptions were the megalithic ring of Callanish on the Isle of Lewis and the ring of Brodgar in Orkney both of which saw sunshine.

Dave Clark, forecaster at the Met Office in Aberdeen, said: "The majority of Scotland saw a cold, grey 'dreich' day with the weather in the east being worst than the west."

Steve Owens, a Glasgow-based astronomer, said: "The Summer Solstice means the day lasts a few seconds longer than the day before and a few more than the one after.

"However with the weather being so grey it may be many people did not even notice."