Edinburgh and Aboyne in Aberdeenshire have had their warmest July night on record on a sweltering Monday evening.
Aboyne hit its low of 18.2C at 5.20am on July 12 – almost two degrees higher than the previous record of 16.8C in 2018.
The capital’s Botanic Gardens recorded a low of 18.8C at 5.40am, around a degree above the 17.9C set in 2001.
While these are new records for July, they are also just shy of the all-time records set during the August heatwave of 2006.
Aboyne’s all-time top temperature stands at 19C and Edinburgh’s is 18.9C.
It comes as a dangerous and possibly historic heatwave is on the verge of hitting its peak having swept across Europe in recent weeks.
Parts of Portugal and Spain could reach highs of 47C, France 43C, Belgium 38C and England between 37 and 40C.
National all-time records are at risk of tumbling on Saturday and Sunday – something which is happening more and more frequently.
Scotland often reaches its top temperatures in August, meaning there are still several weeks to go before the mercury peaks.
STV meteorologist Sean Batty said Scotland’s all-time record is “safe for now,” but could be next to fall if temperatures continue to soar into midweek.
He added: “There’s a decent chance the UK record of 38.7C will be broken early next week, with one or two models showing peaks of 40C, which is extraordinary.
“Here in Scotland there’s been an upward trend in temperatures across the models in the last 24 hours and this increases our chances of near record breaking heat Monday and Tuesday next week.
“Our all-time record is 33C set back in 2003, and while this looks safe just now, if the heat build more and further north than we currently expect, this could well be broken.”
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