Thunderstorms Illuminate Skies in Scotland Amid Weather Warnings
Lightning illuminated the sky over Dornoch on Thursday night following the activation of a Met Office yellow thunderstorm warning in northern Scotland.
Various parts of Scotland experienced lightning and heavy rainfall overnight as a weather warning covering nearly the entire country remains active.
The Met Office issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms and heavy rain starting at 15:00 BST on Thursday, initially affecting Inverness and much of northern Scotland. This warning has since been expanded to encompass almost all of Scotland.
A camping and caravan park in Dornoch, located in the Highlands, reportedly suffered flash flooding overnight. The area also experienced hailstorms during this period.
This thundery weather follows Scotland's hottest day of the year on Thursday, when temperatures reached a peak of 31.2°C in Threave, Dumfries and Galloway.
The intense heat resulted in some regions of Scotland officially entering a heatwave, defined by temperatures reaching 25°C or higher for three consecutive days.
With the shift in weather conditions, forecasters have warned of potential travel disruptions and a minor risk of flooding to homes and businesses.
Lightning was observed across eastern Scotland in the early hours of Friday.
The Met Office forecast stated:
"Spells of heavy rain and thunderstorms initially over north-west Scotland are likely to become more widespread during Friday morning.
Further thunderstorms and spells of heavy rain are possible in the afternoon before becoming confined to more northern areas of Scotland later in the day."
Frequent lightning, hail, and gusty winds are also expected.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has issued a flood warning for Strathglass, near Beauly in the northwest Highlands, alongside multiple flood alerts for other locations.
Sepa indicated that flooding from surface water and small watercourses is possible throughout Friday due to heavy rainfall.
Thunderstorms and heavy rain were reported in Edinburgh and are anticipated across Scotland throughout Friday.
Parts of England and Wales remain under a rare red warning for extreme heat until 21:00 on Friday, affecting millions for the third consecutive day.
- Red extreme weather warning in place for London and south-east England after record June heat
- Gritters out to protect roads on Scotland's hottest day of the year
- Scotland records hottest day of 2026 as heatwave predicted
