Lossiemouth the hottest place in UK before expected storms

The north of Scotland was the hottest place in the UK yesterday as temperatures soared to an unseasonally warm 29C.

North Berwick has topped the list of Scotlands most expensive seaside towns.

The two day heatwave came close to, but did not exceed, the Scottish record temperature for May, which is 30.9C recorded in Inverailort in the Highlands five years ago.

Yesterday Lossiemouth in Moray proved the hottest place at 29C but Kinlochewe in Wester Ross managed a respectable 27.8C with Inverness, Altnaharra and Drumnadrochit reaching 27C. In the central belt, temperatures of 27C were also recorded in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

However hopes for a fine Bank Holiday weekend were dashed with the Met Office issuing yellow “be aware” warnings for heavy rain in Scotland today and tomorrow.

Portobello Beach in Edinburgh was busy with people enjoying the sun. Pic: Toby Williams

Forecasters have warned that there could be some torrential thundery showers, with the Highlands expected to face downpours both days.

On social media, Mountaineering Scotland encouraged hillwalkers and climbers planning a trip to the hills this weekend to check its advice on what do if there is lightning during forecasted thundery weather.

Elsewhere in the UK, a yellow warning for wet weather came into force at 4pm yesterday for Northern Ireland and today a second weather warning predicts heavy rainfall for all of the north of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Those living in the southern half of the country will not escape the deluge as the third weather warning, in place for 24 hours from lunchtime on Sunday to 12pm on bank holiday Monday, predicts torrential thundery outbreaks are likely in places with the possibility of localised flooding.

Portobello Beach in Edinburgh was busy with people enjoying the sun. Pic: Toby Williams

Exeter-based Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said: “The key thing I would point out is a lot of the rainfall that’s likely to come over the weekend is showers and some may get it and some may not.

“It is variable but where those showers do occur they could be quite intense.”

Mr Clayton said of Sunday: “If you were to draw a line from the Wash (East Anglia) to the Bristol Channel, anywhere south of that is likely to get fairly intense thundery showers.

“Not everyone will necessarily see them but where you do see them they will be quite intense.”

In Scotland, Sunday will feel much cooler than recent days as temperatures are expected to dip to highs of 18C.

The inclement weather is expected to continue on Monday with cloud, scattered showers and the lowest high temperatures of the weekend are expected to be recorded in London (20/21C or 68/70F).

For anyone worried that the sun will come out on Tuesday when they have to go back to work, Mr Claydon said it was not going to happen as another front is set to move in from the west bringing more cloud and rain.

In Moray yesterday, residents made the most of the brief but welcome burst of hot sunshine, flocking to the beach and the ice-cream parlour.

Jonathan German, supervisor at Guidi’s in the town, said the ice-cream parlour had been really busy.

He said: “It’s really hot here. There’s a lot of people floating about outside. Everyone seems happy and they’re smiling.”