Edinburgh hits 26.2c today as Met Office reveals 'hottest day of the year' expected on Thursday with 29c predicted

Met Office meteorologist John Griffiths said the hottest place in Scotland on Wednesday was Charterhall in Berwickshire at 26.9c but a high of 26.2c was also recorded at Gogarbank and 26.1c at the the Royal Botanic Garden.

Mr Griffiths said the mercury will likely hit 29c across Edinburgh and parts of the Lothians on Thursday, and that it could be even hotter in Glasgow.

He said: "We could quite easily see 30c in Glasgow on Thursday. This is fairly unusual and not a million miles off the June record for Scotland, which was recorded on June 18th, 1893 as 32.2c. But it's unlikely we will see this tomorrow."

Mr Griffiths said Thursday will likely be the hottest day of the year in Scotland and that the previously highest recorded temperature for the year was 28.9c at Dawyck Botanic Garden, near Peebles, in May.

Wednesday's weather was mixed across Scotland with heavy rain hitting the north-west Highlands and cloud across central Scotland earlier in the day - but most of this cleared up to leave sunny and dry conditions.

Mr Griffiths also warned the next few nights will be "muggy" with temperatures likely to be in the mid to high teens. Showers are expected generally overnight Thursday into Friday but it will stay warm.

Met Office yellow 'be aware' warnings for thunderstorms are also in place for the west coast of the country from 4pm on Thursday and will cover the rest of Scotland on Friday into Saturday morning. Temperatures are still expected to be above 20c in Edinburgh on Friday.

Mr Griffiths said the biggest risk from the thunderstorms, especially in urban areas, will be flash flooding and hail - with stones as big as 50p coins possible in the most extreme scenarios.

Power cuts are possible but it will depend on the severity of the lightning and how widespread it is.

The buildup of heat and its meeting with cold air from the west will lead to instability in the atmosphere and the predicted thunder and lighting on Thursday and Friday.

The weekend is expected to be unsettled across the country with both sunshine and showers expected and a bit more breeze towards the end of Sunday. Temperatures will also fall on Saturday to the high teens in Edinburgh and, by Sunday, this will likely drop a little more.