Some areas of the Highlands may be basking in temperatures that are more familiar in the height of summer this weekend, as high pressure pushes the mercury towards 20C.
The Met Office has said the north of Scotland may be the warmest part of the UK over Saturday and Sunday, and pleasant weather is set to continue into next week.
Among the hottest parts will be Aviemore and Inverness, where mountains to the south will draw out moisture from the air, resulting in dry conditions that look likely to reach into the high teens.
Richard Miles, a spokesman for the meteorological agency, said: “An area of high pressure is centred over Denmark, and the way the air circulates around that centre brings air up from the south-east continental air mass.
“Air finishing up around the Highlands will be originating in the north of Italy and southern France.
“That is the air direction, which is a factor, but the high pressure will also be keeping the skies clear and the sun is that much warmer in late March than it is in January or February, so it will heat up the air that bit quicker.”
Maximum Saturday temperatures
- Aberdeen 8C
- Inverness 14C
- Fraserburgh 11C
- Elgin 15C
- Ullapool 16C
- Aviemore 17C
- Stornoway 12C
- Kirkwall 12C
- Lerwick 9C
- Laurencekirk 9C
Forecast
The sun will be blazing in the middle of tomorrow afternoon over Ullapool, which is forecast to reach 16C, and Aviemore, which could reach 17C or higher.
The Moray Firth will soak in some of the lovely weather too, with Elgin forecast to hit 15C tomorrow – the same temperature as Fort William.
Stornoway, Kirkwall and Lerwick are all expected to hit 10C to 12C on Saturday.
Aberdeen will be a bit cooler on Saturday due to its position on the coast, not quite reaching double figures, while Fraserburgh is likely to only go as high as 11C.
However, the high pressure should build further into next week, and temperatures in Aberdeen could reach the mid-teens on Tuesday and Wednesday.
