Sunset over a beach on the Isle of Harris
Alternating warm, settled weather and cooler spells with periods of rain and showers, some heavy and thundery. Mean temperatures were generally about 0.5 °C below the 1971-2000 average. With several chilly nights, in terms of minimum temperature it was the coldest July since 1993. It was a wet month across many eastern areas, from the Borders to Inverness, with about twice the average in places. In contrast, it was a relatively dry month in Orkney and the Western Isles with only about a third of the normal amount. Sunshine amounts were well above average in the west, but it was rather dull near the east coast. Western Scotland enjoyed one of the sunniest Julys in the series from 1929.
- 1st to 4th
- Apart from a few isolated light showers, this period was dry with long clear or sunny spells. The temperature reached 23.6 °C at Aviemore (Highland) on 3rd.
- 5th to 11th
- Thickening cloud brought rain north-eastwards on 5th, although many parts remained fine with Charterhall (Borders) recording 22.9 °C. Rain affected many places on 6th, heaviest over Fife, Perth and Kinross and south Aberdeenshire with Braemar (Aberdeenshire) recording 34 mm in 12 hours. Sunny spells and showers on 7th, with some showers being heavy and thundery, especially in the south. Drier and warmer in the north, Kinloss (Moray) reaching 20.3 °C. Further heavy showers on 8th with isolated thunderstorms, and flash flooding was reported in Edinburgh; Kinloss recorded 14 mm of rain between 7pm and 8pm. Sunny spells on 9th, with heavy thundery showers, mainly in the north and east. The 10th and 11th were again showery, some heavy and thundery especially across the north and east, but it was mainly dry across the south-west.
- 12th to 14th
- The showers transferred to Strathclyde, Stirlingshire and Lochaber on 12th, otherwise it was bright or clear. The 13th and 14th saw clear or sunny spells and it became warm, temperatures reaching 22 or 23 °C, with just a little rain in the north-west on 14th.
- 15th to 20th
- A dry and sunny start to 15th but it clouded over with rain spreading from the west. There was persistent rain near the east coast on 16th, but it was brighter further west. Heavy, slow-moving thundery showers broke out, with 29 mm was recorded at Strathallan (Perthshire) in 12 hours and reports of flooding in Perth. There were further heavy showers on 17th with isolated thunderstorms, and rain or showers again on 18th. Occasional rain and showers on 19th, these becoming heavy in the south-east; 13.6 mm was recorded in 1 hour at Leuchars (Fife) although it was mainly dry in the west. Rather cloudy with a few, mainly light, showers on 20th; brightest in the west.
- 21st to 31st
- Bright on 21st and 22nd with some showers and the best of the sunshine in the south-west. Tiree (Argyll and Bute) recorded 15.2 hours of sunshine on 22nd. The 23rd was dry with sunny spells away from the north and north-east where it stayed cloudier and much cooler. Some patchy rain in the north-east on 24th, this heavy in Shetland, otherwise dry with sunny spells and very warm in the south. Light rain in the north-east on 25th, but dry and brighter elsewhere; contrasting temperatures, with maxima of 14.2 °C at Dyce (Aberdeen) and 23.5 °C at Bishopton (Glasgow). Dry on 26th; cloudy and cool again in the north, but sunny and warm elsewhere, with 23.5 °C at Bishopton. The 27th was also sunny and warm, with 25.0 °C at Aviemore, before rain arrived in the west in the evening. The 28th then remained rather cloudy everywhere with some outbreaks of light rain. It stayed dry on 29th and 30th, rather cloudy in the far north and north-east but with good spells of sunshine elsewhere. Aviemore reached 23.1 °C on 30th. The 31st was cloudier with a little rain, though the Moray Firth and the south-east become brighter and warmer later.
