London, UK: Scotland, along with the rest of the UK, is on track to have its hottest June ever recorded, according to the UK’s national weather service Met Office. Historical records dating back to 1884 are likely to be broken in terms of both average daily temperature and average maximum temperature.

On 12th June, Scotland reached its highest temperature this month, hitting 30.7°C at Threave in Dumfries and Galloway. Throughout June 2023, the country has faced water scarcity warnings and significant wildfires in various regions.

While the Met Office will release the complete statistics for June next 3rd July 2023, provisional figures indicate that this month will surpass the previous record set in June 1940.

Mr. Mike Kendon of the Met Office explained that the persistent warmth experienced throughout the month was particularly unusual. Temperatures consistently reached 25°C or higher for at least two weeks, occasionally reaching 28 to 30°C. Normally, maximum temperatures during this time of year would be in the high teens or low 20s.

Scotland’s environmental agency, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), has been issuing warnings about water scarcity. The Esk area of Dumfriesshire and the Loch Maree area of the Highlands have been placed under Sepa’s highest warning level due to the significant water shortage.

Scottish Water has appealed to customers across the country to conserve water supplies, as some private water sources in the Highland Council area have dried up.

The dry conditions have led to large wildfires in the Highlands near Daviot, Fort William, and Aberdeen, requiring firefighters to battle the blazes.

The Ness District Salmon Fishery Board has attributed the record low levels of Loch Ness and the River Ness to the weather and hydro-electric schemes. As a result, board members and anglers have been rescuing fish and eels trapped in dwindling pools of the Holm Burn, which flows into the Ness River.

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