Scotland enjoyed the mildest start to Christmas Day on record as much of the country enjoyed conditions more akin to an Indian summer.
Kinloss in Moray broke the highest daily minimum temperature record in almost a decade with the mercury dipping to just 11.9C – almost two degrees higher than the Italian capital of Rome during the same 24-hour period.
While many were hoping a white Christmas would add to the festive feeling, they were instead treated to sunny spells as temperatures reached as high as 14.2C in Dyce, Aberdeen, yesterday afternoon.
Conditions were similar elsewhere in the UK with the mercury rising up to 12C south of the border, which meant those braving the annual Christmas Day dip around the country’s coast were not faced with icy waters of previous years.
The spring-like weather also saw families ditch their woolly hats and scarves as they headed out for their traditional festive walk.
It followed an even milder Christmas Eve with a UK high of 15.2C recorded at Cassley in Sutherland, while temperatures in London only reached 11C.
Forecasters confirmed that the milder conditions, caused by a band of high pressure drawing milder air from the South Atlantic, saw ‘the mildest start to Christmas Day on record for Scotland’ with the 11.9C recoded at Kinloss ‘the highest daily minimum temperature record’.
This festive swimmer was all smiles as she braved the waves off Lossiemouth
The previous record was set at Dounreay, Caithness, in 1971 when the lowest temperature recoded was 10.6C.
MET Office deputy chief meteorologist Chris Almod said the flow of relatively warm air was ‘elevating temperatures’ across much of the UK, adding: ‘As global temperatures are continuing to rise with climate change, we can expect this more southerly Atlantic air to be warmer, providing an additional boost to already otherwise mild temperatures.
But the milder weather is likely to be short-lived with freezing overnight temperatures and snow a possibility early in the new year.
While the mercury hovered around 11C for much for the country yesterday, it was still several degrees cooler than the warmest Christmas Day ever recorded in Scotland.
This was set in 2011 in Dyce, Aberdeen, and equalled in 2016, again in Dyce and Urquhart, Moray, when the mercury spiked at an unseasonal 15.1C.
But even yesterday morning forecasters said they were ‘unlikely to see this being broken’.
The sunny spells are expected to disperse today [Thursday] with much of the country braced for a cloudy Boxing Day with rain across much of the country.
Daytime temperatures are expected to remain around the 11C mark in the south of Scotland for the rest of the week.
Heading into the weekend overnight temperatures are, however, likely to be more akin to the time of year with freezing conditions, particularly in rural parts of the Highlands.
The Met Office said the start of January could also see widespread unsettled and cooler conditions as low-pressure fronts bring an increased threat of heavy rain and a risk of sleet and snow in northern areas.
