Residents of the north and north-east have been told to expect “disruption” today as the regions were issued with a yellow warning for thunderstorms.
The warning covers the whole of Scotland and will come into effect from 10am.
It is due to last until 8pm, with forecasters saying heavy showers and thunderstorms can be expected with the potential for surface water flooding in some locations.
Sepa has also issued a number of flood alerts across the north and north-east, including Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray.
#Thursday will be generally unsettled with some heavy and in places thundery showers. Here's the #4cast 👇 pic.twitter.com/c9qC3OlpUj
— Met Office (@metoffice) September 8, 2021
The Met Office warns there is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, and some buildings may be damaged by lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.
Residents have been alerted to possible travel disruption, with lightning strikes and flooding bringing the chance of delays and cancellation to train and bus services.
Rural communities across the regions have also been warned they could be temporarily cut off as the weather conditions throughout the day could lead to some road closures.
End of the autumn heatwave
The alert comes following a week of scorching weather with Scotland recording its hottest September temperature in more than 100 years.
Residents in Charterhall, located in the Scottish Borders, enjoyed a day out in the sizzling 28.6C yesterday – the country’s highest September temperature on record.
Although temperatures are expected to drop today, it will still be a reasonably warm day in the north and north-east with a maximum temperature of 21C in both regions.
However, the autumn heatwave is expected to come at a halt, with unsettled weather and rain forecasted to continue into the weekend.