THE SCOTTISH Government has asked Scots not to travel on Tuesday unless absolutely necessary.
Temperatures hit near record levels in parts of the country on Monday, the Met Office said.
Scotland’s peak was in Aboyne where the mercury reached 31.8C.
Aberdeenshire and Edinburgh all experienced highs of 30.8C, while in Aviemore, the temperature hit 29.9C.
It is expected to be even hotter on Tuesday.
The Met Office has issued an amber warning for extreme heat covering Dundee, Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife, Perth, Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and eastern parts of Lanarkshire as well as the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway.
Keith Brown, the Justice Secretary and lead minister for resilience said anyone planning on making a journey should only do so if the trip was essential.
And those who do, he added, should wear a hat and take a bottle of water.
Mr Brown - who also attended the latest COBRA meeting with counterparts in Whitehall - said: “Following the weather warnings, our resilience arrangements have been activated.
"We are receiving regular updates from partners including Transport Scotland, the Met Office, the NHS and emergency services and we’ll continue to closely monitor developments.
“I would urge people to think about whether they need to travel and if they do, make sure they’re properly equipped, and plan their journey in advance.
"Rail passengers and drivers should make sure they have water, sunscreen, hats and sunglasses and have a fully charged phone in case of any difficulties.
"Any drivers who face breakdowns should seek a safe, shady place, and stay hydrated.”
The Minister also urged Scots to stay hydrated, drink plenty of fluids and avoid excess alcohol.
He also asked people to “look out for vulnerable family, friends and neighbours, such as older people, those with underlying conditions and those living alone may struggle to keep cool and hydrated.”
He added: “Water safety incidents and drownings increase in hot weather and it’s vital that people are aware of the dangers and use supervised beaches and pools when possible – follow the Water Safety Code and in an emergency call 999. People should also be aware of the dangers of wildfires.”
Meanwhile, in a bid to stop tracks buckling in the heat, Network Rail limited train speeds between 1pm and 8pm on Monday,
That led to a number of cancellations and delays.
Passengers waiting at Edinburgh Waverley for the LNER to Aberdeen were initially offered taxis to the north east until the operator managed to track down a spare train.
With a red weather warning in place south of the border, and temperatures potentially reaching 40C, they have already said they will not run trains south of York and south of Leeds to London King’s Cross on Tuesday.
Other operators, including Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Great Northern and Thameslink, will run reduced services.
The heat also caused overhead lines between Glasgow Queen Street Low Level and Hyndland to trip and reset, causing problems for ScotRail.
Meanwhile, travellers flying into Luton were diverted because of a “surface defect” on the runway.
One passenger returning from Italy on an easyJet flight said they were told they could not land because of “bits of tarmac melting.”
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