Summer will be in full swing with bright and sunny spells this weekend as temperatures soar to the mid 20s in some parts of north Scotland.
The north-east is heading towards several days of scorching weather with plenty of sunshine, after the country recorded the hottest day of the year.
On Friday, the mercury reached 27.5C at Aberdeen Airport – beating Thursday’s temperature of 25.6C in Eskdalemuir, Dumfries and Galloway.
Many in the north-east flocked to beaches to lap up the rays as temperatures remained around the mid-20s.
Sunbathers enjoyed temperatures of 26C at Stonehaven Harbour and the popular Lossiemouth beach in Moray recorded highs of 24C.
Saturday is expected to follow suit with another mostly dry and sunny day, with temperatures reaching a high of 25C in several parts of Grampain – with the best weather around Stonehaven and Aberdeen.
Due to gentle breezes, the climate may feel a bit cooler with some patchy clouds making their way through Moray and northern Aberdeenshire at times.
However, temperatures will remain around 20C, still promising a very warm and mainly dry weekend.
Cloudy start of the weekend in the Highlands and Islands
Further north towards Inverness, people are set for a mainly cloudy start of the weekend with extensive low cloud, prompting mist and drizzle in the west.
Although a bit cooler than the north-east, people across the Highlands will still be able to enjoy a warm weekend with temperatures remaining between 18C and 20C.
In Orkney and Shetland, Saturday is expected to be mostly cloudy during the morning with patchy light rain, but brighter in the afternoon with the odd sunny breaks.
Temperatures are also expected to be lower than the rest of north Scotland – with fresh to strong westerly winds and a maximum temperature of 17C.
A forecaster for the Met Office explained: “Much of north-western Scotland will remain under a low cloud over the weekend, which will bring some potential drizzles throughout the day – unlike most of the rest of the country.
“That cloud will slightly move to the east on Sunday, but the weather will remain very warm and steady throughout the day with mostly sunshine.
“On Friday evening and overnight heading to Saturday, the north and north-east will be affected by more prominent gust which will die down in the early hours of the morning and turn into a gentle breeze.
“However, there is definitely potential for Aberdeen to get up towards the highest temperatures in Scotland on Saturday.
“Friday, July 16 was the hottest day of the year so far – recorded in Dyce, Aberdeen – so moving into the weekend, the far eastern area down from Aberdeen will stay very warm and in that temperature scale before dying down a bit on Sunday.”
This article originally appeared on the Evening Express website. For more information, read about our new combined website.