Diary of Highlights

1st to 3rd
Rain in the northwest on the 1st, but bright in the east, with Dyce reaching 15 °C. Rain cleared by 2nd, leaving almost unbroken sunshine across Scotland, although a few wintry showers in the far north. Locally frosty start on 3rd with fog patches, lingering across the Solway coast, otherwise dry and sunny.

4th to 9th
On the 4th, light showers moved south. Sleet and snow showers affected Northern Scotland on 5th and 6th but dry and sunny further south. Locally severe night frosts with Eskdalemuir dipping to -8.6 °C on the morning of the 6th. Further showers of sleet or snow affected North Sea Coasts through the 7th, clear, bright or sunny elsewhere with a widespread overnight frost, with a temperature of -8 °C being recorded at Eskdalemuir and Glenlivet. A cold night into the 8th, with a temperature of -10.7 °C at Altnaharra and -8.9 °C at Aviemore. Sleet, hail and snow showers affected northern and eastern parts, with further wintry showers on the 9th.

10th to 12th
The 10th was cold with outbreaks of rain, sleet and snow with strong to gale force easterly winds. The snow heaviest during the afternoon over exposed eastern hills with significant accumulations. The 11th was mainly cloudy with rain, heaviest in the northeast, with Fyvie Castle recording 41.8 mm in the 24 hours to 0900 UTC. Shetland was still cold enough for sleet and wet snow, with easterly gales adding the raw feel. Some sunshine broke through in the south and west. The 12th was another grim day for the northeast and the Northern Isles, with persistent rain, amounting to 20 mm at Fair Isle. After a damp start, the south and west brightened up during the afternoon, allowing Islay to reach a temperature of 9.9 °C.

13th to 15th
The 13th and 14th saw frosts in the northeast, otherwise bright with some showers. Very windy with heavy rain in the west on the 15th, but drier and brighter in the east. Very mild temperatures, with 12 °C being reached in the Moray Firth. 41 mm of rainfall was recorded at Tyndrum, and a gust of 76 m.p.h. at South Uist.

16th to 22nd
The 16th and 17th, were dry and bright but showery in the northwest. Mainly dry with sunny spells on the 18th, but cloudy on the 19th with rain, heaviest in the south and west. Winds becoming strong to near gale force along the West Coast. Rain became confined to Shetland on the 20th with sunny spells following from the south. Dry and bright on the 21st but rain affected the Northeast. Mostly cloudy and rather wet on the 22nd, with severe gales over Shetland and a gusts to 66 m.p.h. at Sella Ness.

23rd to 26th
The 23rd through to 26th saw cloudy, showery conditions, especially in the north and east, with 15 mm at Lerwick on the 24th. Drier and brighter in the south and west, with 12 °C being recorded at Edinburgh Gogarbank on the 23rd.

27th to 28th
From the 21st to the 25th a wintry spell of weather covered parts of Scotland with some heavy snow across high ground, but also to lower levels too. The morning of the 25th was particularly frosty with Dalwhinnie dipping down to -7.1 °C. On the 25th, cloud and patchy drizzle in the northwest slowly pushed across the country, though many eastern areas remained dry.

26th to 31st
From the 26th the weather was characterised by cloudy conditions, more so across the north and west. There was also rain at times, this becoming heavy and prolonged across the West Highlands from the 29th to the 31st. Occasional colder intrusions were experienced in the north, but on the whole the weather was mild with the best of the sunshine to be found to the east of the mountains. A temperature of 13 °C was recorded at Leuchars on the 28th and 14 °C at Dyce on the 31st. Windy, at times, with gusts to 60 m.p.h. at Kirkwall on the 28th and 70 m.p.h. at Lerwick on the 29th.