Sean Batty

Monday marks the first day of meteorological summer, and we’re now just three weeks away from the official start of the season, which arrives with the solstice on June 21. After the exceptional spell of heat that swept across the UK just last week, many of you may be wondering when the next period of settled, warm weather will arrive. On May 25, Scotland recorded its highest temperature of the year so far, with Floors Castle in the Borders reaching 28C.

What a shocker this May has been so far – but finally our fortunes may be about to change, with warmer weather on the horizon. The big question is: just how warm could it get? Scotland has endured plenty of showers over the past week, with temperatures dropping under a cool northerly airflow. In some places, afternoon highs have struggled to get much above 8C – well below what you’d normally expect for mid-May.

If you caught me on the News at Six on Friday, you might have heard me mention the possibility of “snow” in May. Snow in May isn’t unheard of, it can even happen into June. One of the most notable examples was in May 1973, when Balmoral woke up to 15cm of lying snow in the first few days of the month. There were also more widespread events in early May 1982 and 1997, with lying snow recorded even in southern parts of the country. But it’s rare for it to be significant.