Downpours could not dampen the enthusiasm of revellers turning out for one of the busiest weekends of the year, with major concerts, events and festivals taking place across the country.

Fears that torrential rain blasting the west of England and Wales would creep north proved unfounded yesterday as Scotland missed the worst of the washout, although umbrellas and plastic ponchos were out in force among those attending the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow Green amid showers and windy conditions. 

Organisers of the international event were taking advice from the Met Office up until hours before the contest kicked off to ensure that everything was in place to avoid disruption. 

A spokeswoman said: “The event is only pulled if there’s the threat of danger from the weather.” 

Meanwhile, pumps were deployed at Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park to clear groundwater ahead of the start of the popular Summer Sessions season,
which kicked off with The Cure taking to the stage for the first time in the city for 27 years. 

Thousands of fans of the gothic favourites donned their eyeliner and flocked to the south side for the sold-out event, despite torrential rain earlier in the day leading to warnings to concert-goers to put on waterproofs and wellies to navigate the muddy conditions. 

Last night’s show, which also saw Scottish favourites Mogwai and The Twilight Sad perform on the wet and windy stage, might not have lived up to the “summer” billing amid further heavy showers, but the mood was buoyant. 

A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman confirmed parks staff had worked alongside organisers to remove excess water and flooding from the site as much as possible to ensure the event was as enjoyable as possible. 

Overall, about 70,000 people are expected to attend the Summer Sessions shows over the weekend – one of the high points of the year for Glasgow music fans.

And aswith the Foo Fighters prepare to take to headline the Bellahouston Park stage later today, however, the weather looks set to be drier and brighter, with only a few scattered showers predicted. 

Also casting anxious glances at the clouds are organisers of the annual Glasgow Pride march, which will set off from the city centre at 11.30amtoday.

In the capital, the Edinburgh festivals are in full swing, with streets thronged with visitors, tourists and performers. 

A spokeswoman said that the show would be going on, with most of their venues indoors, and that the recent bad weather had not been a problem.
She added: “The Fringe is still going strong.”

The bout of rain followed heavy showers and downpours which shut
the main railway lines from Edinburgh to both Glasgow and Stirling, and left Inverness cut off to trains at the start of the month. 

But, thankfully for festival-goers, marchers and pipers, the outlook is predicted to be a lot sunnier in Scotland today, where clearer skies and showers will be the norm. 

Helen Roberts, forecaster at the Met Office, said that the central belt would not see downpours similar to those blighting the south of the UK. 

She said: “As Saturday goes on we’re going to see a mixture of sunshine and showers, and it will be cool and windy. 

“Across Glasgow there will be some heavy showers, possibly thundery, and some of those may merge as the evening goes on.

“But it’s not going to be a wash-out in the central belt and there will be some decent sunny spells for people who are going to outdoor events.”

In parts of England and Wales, almost a month’s worth of rain was expected to have fallen between 8am and 10pm last night after a yellow weather warning was issued. Up to 80mm of rain was predicted for some areas of Wales and the South West, where the average August rainfall is 107mm and 90mm respectively, with similar weather expected today. 

A charity event in London for children with cancer, starring former One Direction singer Liam Payne, was cancelled by organisers due to “potentially dangerous” heavy rain and gusts of wind.

Payne said he was “so sorry” to people who were looking forward to the event.
The drop in temperatures across the UK comes after prolonged humidity and heatwaves last monthin July which saw Scots swelter through the hottest recorded July day as the mercury crept up to 31C in Edinburgh, while the south of England baked in nearly 38C heat. 

The UK was not alone, however. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, July was the hottest month recorded on Earth since records began in 1880. 

July’s temperature across land and ocean surfaces worldwide was 1.71 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average of 60.4.

Some of the significant temperature differences were seen across Alaska, central Europe, northern and southwestern parts of Asia, and parts of Africa and Australia. 

Temperatures were at least 2.7F above the average.

Nine of the 10 warmest Julys have occurred since 2005, with the past five years being the five warmest on record. Sea ice is also at a record low, said NOAA.