Winter made a comeback in Scotland yesterday as snow fell in parts of the Highlands and gales forced speed restrictions on the railways.
Snow blanketed the summit of Glencoe after temperatures dipped close to freezing on Wednesday night.
Heavy downpours and strong winds also battered coasts and hills, giving a wintry feel to the midsummer weather.
Four flood alerts were issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in the north and north-west, where ‘locally heavy’ rain could rapidly cause surface water flooding.
Motorists were warned of difficult driving conditions and public transport networks could also be disrupted.
Journey times on sections of the Kyle and Mallaig lines were increased as trains were subject to speed limits overnight (Thur) because of winds forecast to gust above 50mph.
The summer washout is expected to continue into next week as Scotland remains on the chilly side of the jet stream in the Atlantic.
Temperatures will struggle to climb above the mid-teens as a colder-than-average June has spilled over into the July summer holidays.
The Glencoe Mountain Resort, a popular winter sports centre, posted pictures on social media yesterday with the comment: ‘Fresh snow on the summit this morning.’
Disappointed Scots also added their comments online reflecting their exasperation with the unseasonably cold and wet weather.
One wrote: ‘The summer that keeps on giving.’
Some reported digging out their winter coats or turning on the central heating and one holidaymaker joked they would need to ‘pack thermals’.
Blustery showers were most frequent in the north-west, where there was also a risk of thunder.
Further south there were some longer spells of sunshine and a top temperature of 16C.
But the rain in the north was heavy enough for SEPA to put flood alerts in place in Skye and Lochaber, Wester Ross, Easter Ross and the Great Glen and Caithness and Sutherland.
People were warned to be ‘vigilant’ as ‘the onset of flooding could be fast’.
SEPA said: ‘Particularly at risk are urban areas and the transport network, including localised flooding to low-lying land and roads and property flooding.
‘Difficult driving conditions and localised disruption to travel are possible.
Extra care should be taken if spending time in the outdoors on or near watercourses as water levels could rise rapidly.’
Roadworks on the A82, where the section between Invergarry and Invermoriston, Inverness-shire is due to be resurfaced, have also had to be delayed because of poor weather.
Forecasters warned of more downpours in the north-west today (Fri), while the clearer skies in central Scotland could mean temperatures dropping into single figures early in the day.
Speed restrictions on parts of the railway will remain in force until 10am (Fri).
Network Rail Scotland posted on X, formerly Twitter: Due to forecast heavy rain and high winds possibly exceeding 50mph, we’ll limit train speeds on sections of the Kyle Line and Mallaig Line from 6pm on 4 July until 10am on July 5.
This will extend journey times.’
But it will be a brighter day with lighter winds before a weekend dominated by sunshine and showers.
A spell of more persistent rain will also fall in southern and eastern Scotland on Saturday.