Scotland basked in sunshine despite much of the country waking up to a frost.
Temperatures in Tayside and Fife peaked around 15C on Wednesday and the good weather is set to continue before wetter weather moves in from the west on Friday and over the weekend.
The clear skies are causing frosty starts across much of Scotland, including Tayside and Fife, as there is no cloud cover when the temperature drops at night.
In some parts of the country, this has led to 21 degree swings in temperature. The Met Office recorded -6.5C in Aboyne at 6am on Wednesday but just eight hours later the mercury had shot up to a positively balmy 15C.
Although the temperature did not change so wildly in Courier Country, a Met Office spokeswoman said such extremes are not unexpected at this time of year.
She said: “It is not really unusual for spring weather. We had snow last March and the March before that we had temperatures of 17C in some parts of the country.
“It is just because it is a transitional season. When you have the clear skies at night it means the temperature drops more.”
She warned conditions will deteriorate as the weekend approaches although less frost is predicted on Thursday morning and temperatures are expected to reach around 15C later in the day around twice the monthly average for March.
“There will still be some good sunshine around on Saturday for much of Scotland but the east coast is looking drier than the west but will still be quite cloudy,” she said.
The early spring sunshine is providing a welcome respite following Scotland’s wettest winter on record.
Across Scotland, 48% more rain fell than usual between December and February. England was worst hit, with some communities in Somerset still recovering from major flooding caused by heavy rains and rising tides.