Temperatures across Tayside and Fife are set to drop by as much as nine degrees as a mild spell of weather comes to an end.
Many areas have enjoyed highs of 11°C on Wednesday – above the average for this time of year.
But the Met Office is forecasting that winter will bite back in the coming days as the mercury dips below freezing overnight for many, in the final weekend before Christmas.
Met Office forecast
Wednesday
According to the Met Office forecast for Tayside and Fife, clear spells will continue into the evening before cloud and patchy rain, or drizzle, extends north.
But it will remain mild overnight with lows of 6°C.
Thursday
The Met Office says that Thursday will largely follow on from Wednesday, starting off cloudy and gradually turning brighter with some sunshine breaking through.
Despite breezy conditions in places, temperatures will return to double figures for most.
Friday to Sunday
The outlook for the region suggests it is going to remain dry.
However, while Friday will remain relatively mild, it will begin to turn colder heading into the weekend.
Overnight from Friday into Saturday, most areas will see temperatures dip to 1-2°C.
It will not improve much during the day on Saturday with highs of 2°C or 3°C for most, with some fog and mist in places.
It will be even colder heading into Sunday with overnight lows below freezing in parts and highs during the day of just 2°C, and cloudy but dry.
Christmas week
An early outlook for next week suggests that settled, dry spells will largely continue but it will stay cloudy – and this may be thick enough in parts for the odd spot of drizzle.
There is a chance of overnight fog and frost, which may be slow to clear, while rain and strong winds will affect the far north of the country.
Temperatures are expected to be near average – but milder in the north and colder in the south.
It means that, at this stage, the chances of a white Christmas for Tayside and Fife look unlikely.
