Scots swelter as soaring temperatures outshine records

Glasgow and Edinburgh saw temperatures reach 22C and 21C respectively, a day after RAF Leuchars set a new record for the hottest May temperature ever recorded in Scotland.

While daytrippers flocked to seaside resorts on the west and east coasts yesterday, snowsports enthusiasts were still able to take to the slopes of the Cairngorms, some wearing only T-shirts and shorts.

The balmy conditions, the result of an area of high pressure moving up from the south, extended across all of Britain, with temperatures higher than some Mediterranean holiday destinations.

Afternoon temperatures in Manchester reached a high of 27.7C, at one point edging ahead of Majorca on 26.5C and well above the May average of 16C.

However, forecasters have said temperatures will fall at the start of the week, with a cloudy day and shower intervals expected in parts of central and eastern Scotland today.

On Saturday, the highest temperature recorded was 26.2C at RAF Leuchars, a new record. Close behind, Charterhall in the Borders reached 25.7C.

At the CairnGorm Mountain resort, where temperatures reached 20C, people continued to enjoy the longest and busiest season for years, with plenty of snow cover on the slopes.

Peter Mackenzie, a 27-year-old from Inverness who was wearing shorts going down the pistes, said: "I've skied all over the world, but never thought I would be skiing in Scotland throughout May."

Operations manager Colin Matthew said: "CairnGorm has had a real carnival atmosphere with the public out in shorts, shades, T-shirts."

The ski resort, which has enjoyed more than six months of snowsports, could still see the season stretch into June for the first time since 1994.

Across the country, the good weather also saw supermarkets inundated with customers buying barbecue equipment.

Tesco said it sold more than one million litres of ice-cream during Saturday and was expecting to sell approximately 13 million sausages over the two days.

Both the AA and RAC reported a busy day on Saturday for breakdowns as high volumes of traffic hit the roads and cars struggled in the heat.

Paul Watters, the AA's head of public affairs, said the firm dealt with 7,500 breakdowns by 4pm, with approximately 400 calls coming in per hour – exceeding the expected 7,000 for the day.

Dave Rigby, a forecaster at the Met Office, said the weather would go "downhill" from today onwards.

He said: "It's been a lovely weekend across Scotland. Most of the mainland had a brilliant day on Saturday, though northern and eastern parts got a bit cloudier on Sunday.

"But it's all downhill from here, I'm afraid. The best temperature we can expect mid-week is between 13C and 17C.

"People will feel a noticeable difference in temperatures this week as, once again, we get stuck under a northerly breeze."