SCOTLAND had its mildest start to Christmas Day since records began.
The highest recorded daily temperature for Christmas Day was broken in Kinloss, Moray, where it reached 11.9C during a 24-hour period ending at 9am on December 25, according to the Met Office.
The highest recorded temperature in Scotland on Christmas Day was reached in Dyce, Aberdeen, at 14.C as most of the country saw the thermometer hit double digits.
The Met Office said the mild weather is set to continue as temperatures for Boxing Day are expected to reach up to 14C with widely cloudy conditions and patchy rain in areas.
The drizzly rain may cause a “nuisance” for those hoping to get out and enjoy the outdoors on Thursday, Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said, as another cloudy day is forecast.
“For Boxing Day, it’s another pretty grey day,” he said.
“There’s lots of low cloud with a bit of mist and murkiness around, still a little bit of fog in a few spots, mainly in the west.
“The cloud is thick enough in places that, again, we’ve got bits and pieces of sort of patchy, light, drizzly stuff, not really rain as such, but more a nuisance than anything else – particularly if you want to get out and about for for a bit of a walk, it is a bit damp.
“So all in all, another generally dry day, although there will be some bits of drizzle around, but rather grey and mild day for Boxing Day.”
Showers are expected for Scotland, but that shouldn’t put off anyone planning a Boxing Day dip, Partridge said.
Outdoor swimmers can expect mild weather, with temperatures of around 10C to 12C forecast in most of the country.
“It’s at least quite mild, and when you get out of the sea, it won’t be as cold as it has been on many Boxing Day swims in the past,” Partridge added.
Although it is “very mild for the time of year”, 2024’s Boxing Day temperatures are not expected to exceed those of 2011, which became the warmest December 26 on record when 16.1C was measured in Banff, Aberdeenshire, Partridge said.
Over the weekend, conditions across the country will be “a little bit windier and a little bit wetter”, with clouds and showers predicted.
