SCOTLAND is on course to enjoy sunbathing weather by the middle of the week as the unpredictable conditions give way to more consistent sunshine and summery temperatures in the mid-20s centigrade.
After last week's lightning and torrential rain at the start of the weekend left many people unsure whether to head out to the beaches or remain indoors, forecasters believe the country is due better weather by Wednesday.
Spectacular lightning and thunderstorms lit up the night sky across much of the country on Wednesday into the early hours of Thursday and there was torrential rain on Saturday in many areas.
Temperatures yesterday dropped to the lowest the country has seen since the recent heatwave arrived, hovering around 20C.
While some will be glad for a break from the sun and some water for the garden, sun-seekers will only need to wait a few days until the heat returns.
MeteroGroup forecaster John Lee said temperatures will begin to climb again from Wednesday.
"Generally, it's going to be quite unsettled in the first part of the week.
"By Wednesday it will start to settle down and the sunshine will come out.
"It certainly won't be the highs that we had last week but I think that is a relief to most people.
"We could start to see temperatures reaching 29 degrees though by the end of the week."
Scotland recorded a high of just under 30C on the Moray coast in the middle of last week, but it was followed by fork lighting overnight into Thursday.
On Saturday, police urged motorists in the area to take extra care while driving because of the weather. It caused driving problems for motorists in some parts of the country, including Aberdeen, but no major incidents were reported.
However, while Sunday remained dry, it was overcast in many parts of the country including Aberdeenshire. Temperatures ranged from the late mid-teens to early 20s centigrade.
Police Scotland issued warnings for motorists to drive their headlights on, slow down and increase the distance between their vehicle and the one in front, and to slow down to a safe level.
In England, the highest temperature in the recent heatwave was recorded on Wednesday at 36.7C at London's Heathrow, breaking the record for a July day, while many other places south of the Border broke the 30C mark.
Many of the spectacular lighting displays last week were caught by amateur photographers
Aberdeen and Dundee saw lighting hit the rooftops of city buildings. They struck the River Tay close to the site of the new Victoria and Albert Musum.
Also affected were Edinburgh and the Lothians, and the Borders, which saw torrential rain along with the thunder and lightning.
In Glasgow and the west, the night sky was lit up by the lightning as rain cooled the temperatures.
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