Scotland is bathing in its warmest day of the year so far with a mini-heatwave expected to last until the end of the week.
Temperatures reached 26.1C in Skye, the isle’s warmest May day on record, the Met Office said.
The previous warmest day of the year recorded so far in Scotland was 22.5C on Sunday in Kirkcudbrightshire.
With thermometers also reaching around 25C in Ayr and Stranraer on Monday, Scotland was warmer than most of mainland Europe.
But as the west of the country feels the heat, the east coast has been much cooler due to an easterly wind holding temperatures around 14C.
Forecasters expect the weather to remain around 10C above the Scottish May average of 13C until Friday, when temperatures will dip across the country.
Bookmakers are shortening the price on 2016 being the hottest year on record in the UK after gambles over the weekend saw odds slashed from 3-1 to evens.
Coral is also offering just 2-1 that the record high of 32.8C is broken in May, while it is 6-4 for 30C to be recorded this month.
While Scotland and Northern Ireland enjoy the sunshine throughout the week, warnings of heavy rain and thunder are in place for the south of the UK.
Alex Burkill, from the Met Office, said: “Today we have a north-south split which really we are going to keep for much of the week, with finer, sunnier conditions in the North and cloudier and occasionally wet conditions in the South.
“Today is sunny across Northern Ireland, Scotland and north-east England, and the best of the temperatures will probably be in western Scotland.
“North-eastern parts are looking markedly cooler, and towards the South it is cloudier with some showery rain, particularly in the South West where some heavy bursts are likely.”
The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for rain for parts of the South West and southern Wales, where rainfall could exceed 1.2in (30mm).
