Tayside is expected to be hotter than Ibiza, Barcelona and maybe even Barbados later this week as the country prepares for several days of extreme heat.
The local area could be among the warmest places in the whole of Scotland as a fresh heatwave sends the mercury soaring to 28C in Perthshire on Wednesday and Thursday.
Scotland is expected to enjoy its hottest day of the year with temperatures predicted to hit 32C in parts of the UK.
Forecasters say 28C is possible at Strathallan airfield, near Auchterarder, on both Wednesday and Thursday. This means the local area will be more than 10C above the 17C average for June.
Parts of Scotland, including the Borders and central belt, could reach as high as 30C, however the Met Office has not ruled out Perthshire becoming the hottest place north of the border later this week.
Despite conditions staying largely warm inland, coastal regions could endure a day of haar on Tuesday before the heat returns from Wednesday and lasts into Thursday.
Elsewhere the north-west of England could enjoy climes of up to 32C later this week, with temperatures possibly eclipsing those at some of the world’s top holiday resorts including Magaluf (30C), Ibiza (27C), Barcelona (28C), Barbados (28C) and even Cancun, Mexico (31C).
Met Office meteorologist Rachael West said: “It is pretty warm out there, the highest for Dundee (on Monday) was 22C and Strathallan was 24C.
“There is lots of lovely, sunny weather around today and it is going to be very similar as we look ahead.
“Into Tuesday there is a lot of dry and sunny weather around. Things do change subtly. There is damper air around the North Sea and a lot of sea fog around in coastal areas. Around the coastal sites, it will linger for much of the day.
“But inland there is lots of dry, sunny weather. Temperatures are reaching around about the mid-20s, so Tuesday is another warm day if you are away from the coastal spots.
“On Wednesday it is dry, sunny and quite hot in places. It could be 28C in somewhere like Perthshire, and the forecast is pretty much exactly the same for Thursday. It could be something like 28C on both of those days.
“Unfortunately things do cool up on Friday, but it is still warm and there is a lot of sunshine around.”
Mrs West said: “On Wednesday and Thursday we are looking at the highest temperatures — maybe 29C or 30C on Wednesday-Thursday
“Tayside and Fife are not quite the highest but they are pretty close.
“England is a little bit higher but not a lot higher. Scotland is well in. I think (for England) on Wednesday and Thursday, the absolute highest will be around 32C, so they are not faring too badly.”
She said the weather was being caused by an area of high pressure above the UK, which is causing warm air to linger.
The forecast prompted the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to warn drivers and those who work outside — including bricklayers, gardeners and farm workers — that they may be prone to dehydration, fatigue, sunstroke and sunburn.
The group’s general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “We all love to see the sunshine. But working outdoors in sweltering conditions can be unbearable and dangerous.
“Bosses must ensure their staff are protected with regular breaks, lots of fluids, plenty of sunscreen and the right protective clothing.”
Tayside’s top temperatures
London’s St James Park peaked at 29.4C on Monday, making it the UK’s hottest day of 2018 so far.
This week’s temperatures are not expected to top the 32.2C clocked at Ochtertyre on June 18, 1873 – which is still a June record for Scotland.
The hottest June temperature recorded in the local area was 31.7C at Perth on June 6 1940.
However June 5 1982 was also notably balmy, with Strathallan reaching 30C, Kinross 29.2C and Leuchars 29.1C.
Another notable high was the 29.4C at Dundee on June 7 1950, the highest at that site on record from 1914 to 1996.
However the Met Office said June 1995 was “more exceptional” when Strathallan Airfield reached 28.5C on the 29th of the month despite being “cooled” by the North Sea.
The top temperature in Scotland so far this year is 27.5C at Achnagart on May 29.
Scotland’s highest ever recorded temperature was 32.9C on August 9 2003 at Greycrook in the Borders.
