Homes and businesses in Tayside and Fife could be flooded as thunderstorms sweep Scotland on Sunday and Monday, the Met Office has warned.
A yellow weather warning issued by the forecaster says rain, hail and lightning may result in travel chaos with the cancellation of transport services and road closures.
The heatwave will give way as thunderstorms develop across most of the country on Sunday, with the yellow warning coming into effect from noon.
From Monday morning, the yellow warning will expand to further parts of the country and end just before midnight.
It comes as several Fife farmers are banned by Sepa from abstracting water due to “critical” supply levels.
The environment watchdog is suspending the vast majority of licences for water abstraction in mid and north Fife from midnight on Saturday.
It follows a hot spell of weather, which saw parts of Tayside and Fife hit 26°C on Wednesday and Thursday.
What to expect
While some parts of Scotland will stay dry, the Met Office says “hit-and-miss” thunderstorms could bring disruption in places.
As well as a chance that homes and businesses may be “flooded quickly”, it is possible they could be damaged by floodwater, lightning strikes, hail and strong winds.
The extreme weather conditions could lead to delays and cancellations to train and bus services.
In addition, spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and road closures.
There is also a “slight chance” of power cuts.
The Met Office’s warning states: “There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.
“Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services.
“Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures
“There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost.”
