Scotland's weather: Country braced for hottest day of the year so far

The mercury is set to rise across the country today, with experts stating that today could be the hottest April day in decades.

Temperatures are expected to rise to 19 degrees in Edinburgh and 17 in Glasgow.

Across Scotland, temperatures will peak at 20C in Aberdeenshire.

The hot weather far surpasses the average maximum temperature for April, which sits at 11.4C (53F).

Scotland is set for the hottest day of the year so far

The summery spell comes as a result of warm air from the Azores, off the coast of Portugal, being dragged up towards the UK by the combined efforts of an area of low pressure over the Atlantic and high pressure over western Europe.

And records could be smashed across the UK. A high of 28C would beat the 2001 April high of 27.8C (82F), the Met Office said.

The warmest April day on record was 29.4C (85F) in 1949.

Meteorologist Alex Burkill said: “Quite widely we are going to see low 20s, and for many it will be a little warmer than Wednesday.”

Scotland is set for the hottest day of the year so far

Thursday is expected to be the hottest day of the warm spell, with weekend temperatures dipping slightly before showery outbreaks on Sunday.

Some hayfever sufferers could be affected by high pollen counts.

Mr Burkill said: “For anyone who suffers from tree pollen they will probably be feeling the effects, but that’s only about 20% of hayfever sufferers. Grass pollen season comes later in summer.”