Scotland tipped for record-breaking temperatures this weekend not seen since 1976

Scotland is set for a sizzling barbeque weekend rivalling record-breaking temperatures not seen since the summer of 1976.

Aberdeen is tipped to be the hottest spot in the country today, with weathermen predicting a blistering 29C for the Granite City.

That would take us within a few degrees of Scotland’s hottest July day ever, the 32.4C seen at Wauchope in Roxburghshire, on July 2, 1976.

It would also make the Scottish city hotter than Rome and on a par with Honolulu in Hawaii.

Visitors enjoy the hot weather at Luss on Loch Lomond. Picture: John Devlin

Sainsbury’s said it was preparing for its biggest barbeque weekend ever, with sales of crisps up 40 per cent and soft drinks 20 per cent.

Tesco say they will sell more than one million packs or burgers and another million packs of sausages. Thirsty Brits will also down three million bottles of the supermarket’s wine, one million beers and 1.1 million punnets of strawberries.

The Met Office said, having experienced a temperature in excess of 25C for three days in a row, Scotland had now fulfilled the official criteria to call it a heatwave.

A high-octane weekend of sport also gets underway, with the F1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone tomorrow afternoon before The Open golf concludes at Royal St George’s in the evening.

Nicky Maxey of the Met Office said of the weekend forecast:

“Temperature-wise, things will hover around the mid-20s, but we may see an isolated 29C in Aberdeen.

“Fresher weather will come into the west on Sunday, but things will remain pleasant in above-average temperatures for the time of year.”

Meanwhile, a further drop in water ground levels has been reported by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

The country appears to be drying out from the north, with Helmsdale, Thurso and Naver districts placed on a warning of ‘moderate scarcity’ for water – the second-highest alert the quango can issue.

Prior to this week, Orkney was the only area of Scotland on this level. Other northerly districts at Cree and Wick have also been elevated to ‘alert’.

Following a very dry June, the west of Scotland has seen only 22 per cent of the rainfall it would expect in a normal July.

Scottish Water say reservoir levels are 77 per cent full, down 2 per cent in the week.