Scotland has hottest day so far as wildfires continue

A wildfire broke out near Cumbernauld late on Thursday evening

Scotland has had its hottest day of the year so far, with the temperature reaching 22.7C at Aboyne in Aberdeenshire.

The new high beats the previous high of 20.9C recorded at Tyndrum on 8 April.

Wildfire warnings have been issued at the highest level after the long dry spell with people enjoying the sun urged to be extremely cautious.

Firefighters are tackling blazes on Arran, in Thurso, Edinburgh and Cumbernauld with crews potentially working through the night. It follows a number of wildfires across the country earlier in the week.

Damper weather is expected to return at the weekend.

Recent analysis suggests that spring is the fastest-warming season in the United Kingdom, largely down to climate change.

The average spring temperature in the UK has increased by 1.8C since 1970.

The fire service was tackling a large grass fire in Glen Rosa in Arran

The dry spell has been caused by the jet stream - a river of fast flowing air high up in the atmosphere - which has recently been flowing far to the north of Scotland.

That has led to something called an Omega blocking pattern - where a high pressure system becomes stuck over the UK, keeping out the cloud and rain.

Sunny and dry conditions that began in late March have continued into April with many areas hitting temperatures in the high teens or low 20s.

But the clear skies have also seen frosty nights.

Temperatures in Aboyne rose from a minus 3.2C overnight - the coldest recorded in Scotland - before becoming the warmest place later in the day.

Laura Booth and her friend Ailsa McHardy made the most of the warm weather by taking their babies George and Skye to a park in Aboyne for a picnic.

"It's so lovely and beautiful to be able to sit out," said Laura.

"I wasn't expecting it to be this warm. It makes such a difference to be outside."

Ailsa added: "I've been checking the forecast every day and have seen it getting hotter and hotter.

"It's really good - hopefully more sunny days to come."

Mums Laura Booth and Ailsa Mc Hardy were enjoying the sun with their babies George and Skye.

The long dry spell has also raised the risk of wildfires - with a new blaze taking hold late on Thursday near Fannyside Loch in Cumbernauld. At about 22:45 eight fire engines were at the scene.

A large grassfire also took hold in Glen Rosa on the Isle of Arran at about 13:00 on Thursday. Three pumps were sent to the scene initially - one crew remains to make the area safe.

Police have asked members of the public to avoid the roads and walking areas around Glen Rosa and Glen Shant as well as the paths leading to Goatfell.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime programme, Gavin Mutch of the Cladach Sawmill and Garden Centre said he could see smoke and ash falling from the fire in Glen Rosa.

"The trees above us don't appear to be on fire but the hill along the whole side of Glen Rosa and right up Goat Fell is just black now and it seems to be heading further west, so it still seems to be burning quite fiercely," he said.

"It doesn't seem to have caught in the forestry and it seems to be moving further away from us now," he added.

Four fire engines were also dealing with grass on fire near John Kennedy Drive in Thurso.

The public has been asked to avoid the roads and walking areas around Glen Rosa and Glen Shant on Arran

Due to heavy smoke in the area, members of the public are being asked to keep their windows and doors shut.

The fire burned out on Thursday evening, but a reinspection of the area is due to take place.

Meanwhile, four fire crews are tackling a large area of gorse on fire on the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh.

The SFRS said it had received multiple calls about the fire at about 18:45 on Thursday and said it was well alight.

The SFRS received "multiple calls" about a gorse fire in the Pentlands near Edinburgh on Thursday evening

After a dry March which only delivered 64% of the normal rainfall for the month, firefighters have warned of very dry dead vegetation providing ample fuel for fires.

A number of serious wildfires have broken including one in Dumfries and Galloway where campers had to be evacuated by the emergency services.

A "very high" risk of wildfires warning has been force for a week - but the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has upgraded this to "extreme" in the southwest, eastern, central, and north of Scotland for Thursday.

Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Kenny Barbour said: "Wildfires have the potential to burn for days, as we've seen this week in Dumfries and Galloway, and they spread through vast areas of land in our countryside, which is devastating for those who live nearby."

A group of campers were airlifted to safety after a large wildfire broke out in Dumfries and Galloway

Firefighters were also called to about 90 outdoor fires over the weekend including large fires in the Galloway Forest Park and Inverpolly Forest in the Highlands.

A large fire on a hillside in Inverclyde led to a smoke over Greenock and the Clyde, prompting ships to sound their foghorns.

Another large grass fire was extinguished on Skye in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

End of the dry spell

BBC Scotland weather forecaster Kirsteen MacDonald said the high pressure area that prompted the warm, settled conditions was gradually sinking southwards.

By the end of Friday some rain is forecast to reach the far north of the country.

For most places it will be Saturday night before wetter weather returns and Sunday will see a marked drop in temperatures, heralding a period of more unsettled weather in the week to come.

"It's going to come as a shock after the recent warm weather - but the temperatures are coming down to where they should be for this time of year," she said.