SCOTLAND’S heatwave looks set to be a real record-breaker, with the country’s highest-ever temperature recorded last week, the Met Office has revealed.
Provisional data shows the mercury hit 33.2C in Motherwell on Thursday, beating the previous record of 32.9 C set in August 2003 at Greycrook in the Borders. However, the Met Office stressed all temperature observations are subject to a rigorous verification process.
The hot weather is expected to continue for the rest of this week.
The provisional statistics show it was one of the UK’s top five warmest Junes since 1910 for both maximum daytime and 24-hour average temperatures.
The UK average daytime temperature for the month was 19.9C, the same as in the June of the still talked-about summer of 1976. The hottest June came in 1940, with an average of 20.6C.
The statistics also show it was the fourth-sunniest June on record in the UK, behind 1957, 1940 and 1975.
The sunshine gave Scotland’s solar energy output a massive lift. Gina Hanrahan, acting head of policy at WWF Scotland said: “June was certainly a bumper month for solar power. Householders in cities across the country, including Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Perth, could have enjoyed more than 130% of their electricity and enough hot water for the whole month from solar energy alone.
“Wind output was slightly lower than last year but was still high enough to power more than two million homes and meet 87% of household electricity demand.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here