Scotland’s spring has flipped the script. Instead of showers and chilly breezes, it’s sunglasses and ice creams. The country is riding out one of its driest and warmest early spring periods in years—and there’s more sunny weather on the horizon.
March was already bone-dry. Now April is following suit. With high pressure parked over the country and barely a drop of rain in sight, even the notoriously wet Highlands are soaking up rays. But this isn’t your typical spring fling. Something unusual is brewing in the skies above Scotland.
March and April: Dry, Sunny, and Anything But Normal
Let’s start with the obvious: this weather’s weird.
Scotland’s supposed to be moody in March and unpredictable in April. But the rainclouds just haven’t shown up. Across both months, the Scottish landscape has been treated to long spells of high pressure—calm, clear, and very dry.
And it’s not just anecdotal.
According to the Met Office, March 2025 was among the driest on record in some parts of the country. Rainfall has been scarce, sunshine hours have soared, and April looks like it’s following the same script. Even Glasgow, known for its drizzle, saw a drop of more than 40% in its typical monthly rainfall.
One-liner for context?
This isn’t just a nice spring—it’s historic.
Temperatures Climb Well Above Normal—but No Heatwave Yet
Scotland isn’t hitting heatwave territory—yet.
For a heatwave to be declared up here, temperatures have to hit 25°C or more for three days straight. That’s a tough ask in April, especially north of the Central Belt. But that doesn’t mean it’s not warm.
Forecasts for the week beginning Tuesday, April 29, show a noticeable uptick. On Wednesday, April 30, the mercury could touch 20°C in parts of the Highlands and Central Scotland. Most other regions will float around the 17–19°C mark through Thursday, May 1.
A dip is coming by Friday, May 2—but not a dramatic one.
• Central Scotland: highs up to 20°C
• Highlands: warming steadily, up to 19°C
• Western Scotland: still in the high teens by May 2
• Eastern coast and islands: cooler, breezier, often single digits
It’s still spring, technically. But it doesn’t feel like it.
North vs South: A Tale of Two Springs
The Met Office has made it clear: this isn’t a uniform warm spell.
Southern parts of the UK are expected to feel the highest temperatures, with places like London and the Home Counties potentially approaching summer-like warmth. Scotland? Warmer than usual, but split down the middle.
A classic north-south divide is setting up, with the Southern UK likely to hog the hottest spots. But the Central Belt is still getting in on the action, with daily highs 5–7°C above average.
Meanwhile, the east is lagging behind.
Aberdeenshire, Fife, Moray, and the Lothians are being held back by sea breezes and cooler air from the North Sea. Some eastern towns might struggle to break 13°C even while folks in Stirling and Perth are sunbathing.
And then there are the islands. Cold, stubbornly so.
A short paragraph just to prove a point:
In parts of Shetland, highs this week won’t even hit 10°C.
What’s Causing the Sunshine Surge?
It’s all about pressure—and luck.
High pressure systems have dominated Scotland’s weather since early March, pushing clouds and rain away and allowing sunshine to flood in. These systems usually sit further south, but right now they’re locked in over Scotland, and that’s changing everything.
The knock-on effects?
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Clear skies and strong solar radiation, even in northern areas
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Dry air with low humidity, leading to crisp mornings and warm afternoons
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A widening gap between daytime and nighttime temperatures
Here’s a quick table to show the temperature swing expected this week:
| Location | Daytime High (°C) | Nighttime Low (°C) |
|---|---|---|
| Inverness | 19 | 5 |
| Edinburgh | 17 | 6 |
| Glasgow | 20 | 8 |
| Lerwick (Shetland) | 9 | 4 |
That’s a 10–15 degree swing in some areas. You’ll need your coat in the morning, but you’ll be sweating by lunch.
Locals Loving It—but Farmers Sound the Alarm
For most people, it’s a welcome surprise.
After a long, soggy winter, this early taste of summer has been a hit. Parks in Edinburgh are full. Pints are being poured outdoors. Dog walkers are out in droves. Scotland feels alive in a way that usually waits until June.
But not everyone’s thrilled.
Farmers across rural Scotland are starting to get nervous. Dry weather sounds great—until it isn’t. Soil moisture is dropping fast, and there’s been little replenishment since February. Seedlings planted in late March are already struggling in some drier areas of Perthshire and Dumfries.
A single sentence can say a lot:
If this continues into May, crop stress becomes a serious issue.
There are also concerns about wildfire risk. Scotland’s wild grasslands dry out fast, and already there have been warnings issued for elevated fire danger in upland areas west of Loch Lomond and along the Cairngorm edges.
What Comes Next? Warm Days, Cool Nights, and No Rain in Sight
Weather models show a continued dry spell into the first week of May.
Though temperatures may slide slightly, Scotland’s sunny mood isn’t going anywhere just yet. Forecasts from WXCharts and the Met Office both agree on a stable pattern, especially in the west and central regions. Rain chances are low, wind is minimal, and sunshine is holding steady.
The east will stay cooler, but even Aberdeen might get a break from the cloud by May 3 or 4. And with every passing day, that Vitamin D deficit from winter is shrinking fast.
Final short take?
For now, Scotland’s acting more like Spain—and nobody’s really complaining.
