Scots brace for rainy start to July as expert reveals when sunshine will return

ANYONE expecting an improvement in Scotland’s summer as we enter July should look away now.

There’s rain in the forecast for somewhere in the country for the next two weeks, just as families hope to enjoy staycations during the school holidays.

And voters heading to the polling stations on Thursday would be well-advised to take not just photo ID but a brolly as well.

All of Scotland can expect rain or showers on Election Day, with highs of just 14C.

Only by the time we reach the middle of July do we see a glimmer of hope for something warmer and drier.

Tomorrow sees us flip into the second half of 2024, a year which saw a record-breaking array of conditions presented in the first half.

January saw Scotland record the UK’s hottest-ever temperature for the month, a remarkable 19.6C at Kinlochewe in Wester Ross.

It was also the highest winter temperature ever seen in Scotland.

We have become so used to hotter summers that this one so far has been pretty disappointing

Marco PetagnaMet Offices spokesperson

Even though it was largely dull, this year was our hottest-ever May before June began with snow on the hills.

A continuation of an Atlantic flow means that Scotland is in line for rain and showers until mid-July, according to the Met Office’s long-range forecast.

Spokesman Marco Petagna said: “tomorrow’s high so far in Scotland is just 17.6C in Edinburgh, which is pretty low for this time of year.

“Looking ahead, there’s rain in the forecast for Scotland this week and by Wednesday or Thursday, it’s going to turn windy as well.

“We have become so used to hotter summers that this one so far has been pretty disappointing.”

For those with a good deal of patience, there is something more promising expected in the second half of July.

The Met Office long-range forecast for July 14 to 28 states: “By mid-month, there is a signal for more settled conditions to develop, so more in the way of dry weather, although still with a risk of some rain or showers at times.

“Temperatures close to average at first, but with a greater chance of warmer than average conditions later in the period.”

Meanwhile, further afield, the Caribbean is braced for its earliest Category 3 Hurricane since 1966.

Hurricane Beryl is predicted to strengthen to Category 4 as it bears down on Barbados, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, something which has never happened so early in the hurricane ‘season’ before.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami, USA, said Beryl is “forecast to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge … as an extremely dangerous hurricane.”

Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley said in a public address at the weekend:“We have to remain vigilant.

“We do not want to put anybody’s life at risk.”