Scotland enjoyed the hottest day of the year so far as temperatures soared to almost 25C on Tuesday.
Lots of Scots were able to enjoy the sunshine over the weekend and into this week so far, with the warm weather set to remain for the next few days. Stirling enjoyed 24.5C, the highest temperature recorded, beating the precious record for the hottest day so far this year.
And there is more warm weather on the way, with forecasters expecting temperatures in the low 20s across the west throughout the rest of the week.
The summer-like weather is a result of an area of high pressure bringing clear skies, dry conditions and sunshine to Scotland and the rest of the UK, according to the Met Office.
Speaking of Tuesday, Met Office senior meteorologist Rachel Ayers said: "It’s been a fine, bright day with warm sunshine across much of the country. High pressure centred to the west of the UK is bringing settled weather, clearer skies and generally drier conditions."
However, things are not expected to be as warm in more eastern areas, with highs of just 11 to 14C in places such as Aberdeen and Dundee in the coming days.
The milder conditions are due to winds arriving from the North Sea, according to experts.
Ms Ayers added: "The wind is coming off the North Sea, blowing into eastern areas. That’s why it’s clear in the west and cooler in the east.
"Through tonight, clouds are going to push further west, meaning a lot of Wales and south-west England, who have enjoyed wall-to-wall sunshine in recent days, will be waking up to clouds."
The split between east and west is expected to continue as we reach the weekend. "The west will be the best with the highest temperatures and best of the sunshine, and it will be cooler and cloudier in the east," said Ms Ayers.
Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said May has been "very dry" with "just slightly more than half the normal amount of rainfall we would actually expect".
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our newsletter here.
