THERE’S good news for Scots after days of downpours.
The start of April will see Scotland warmer than Spanish holiday hotspot Benidorm and drier than European capitals Athens and Rome.
Settled sunny weather is expected to arrive across the country on Sunday for Mother’s Day and the forecast is set fair until April 10 at the earliest.
The clocks go forward one hour this weekend and the Met Office insist balmy weather will arrive right on cue for the official start to British Summertime.
High pressure sitting to the east of Britain will see temperatures build day-on-day until they peak in the middle of next week.
While Glasgow can expect 18°C on Wednesday, the Costa Blanca tourist magnet Benidorm will be one degree Celsius cooler and it will be tipping down in the Greek capital Athens and the Eternal City, Rome.
The long-range Met Office forecast states: “From the start of April, settled weather is expected to cover much of the UK.
“Most places are expected to be dry with clear or sunny spells and light winds.
“Inland areas will see a general day-on-day warming next week.
“It will probably remain slightly cooler near coastal areas, with an additional risk of mist or sea fog affecting parts of the east coast.”
There is a chance for more unsettled and perhaps cooler weather for a time.
However, the main signal is for dry and fine weather across the country during this period.
The early April forecast adds: “Temperatures will likely be around or above normal and feeling warm during the day, and some cold nights are still possible when skies are clear.”
It’s looking just as good come the middle of the month, when meteorologists believe weather systems will become slow-moving, meaning blue skies will take some time to clear.
High pressure will establish itself towards the north of the UK, allowing Scotland to bask in the best of the conditions.
The forecast for the second half of April states: “If there are any interludes of rain or showers, particularly later in the month, these are more likely to affect the south of the UK.
“Temperatures are likely to be above average overall, and feeling warm inland with light winds during the day.”
Thousands of families will be leaving these shores for extended breaks to coincide with traditional Easter school holidays, towards the end of the month.
The downside to the sunny outlook here is that Scotland will continue to experience much lower rainfall than normal, which may have repercussions later in the summer.
Earlier this month, environment watchdogs SEPA revealed that Scotland’s winter was drier than normal and only above-average rainfall in spring would avert difficulties later in the year.
Before some showers arrived in the last few days, places like Fife and Dundee had seen just 10 per cent of their normal March rainfall.
The Met Office this week confirmed Scotland as a whole has seen just 41 per cent of the downpours it would normally expect in the average March.
