Scotland will be soaked by heavy rain on Thursday while parts of the UK enjoy a high-20 degree heatwave.
The Met Office has forecast some red rain cells, which could bring 16-32mm of rain in an hour, to hit the Orkney Islands in the mid-afternoon.
Mainland Scotland will also see heavy rain, as orange cells, bringing 8-16mm of rain in an hour, are forecast to deluge the Highlands near Loch Glascarnoch around the same time. It will also pour down in Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Fort William later in the afternoon.
Eastern Scotland will have the better weather, with Edinburgh and Dundee looking likely to stay dry. Top temperatures will be in the mid-to-high teens, at 17C in Edinburgh, 18C in Dundee, 19C in Aberdeen, and 16C in Glasgow
“A band of thicker cloud will continue to sink south on Thursday, introducing fresher conditions for all. However, outbreaks of rain, locally heavy at times, will affect northern Scotland,” forecasters said on Wednesday evening.
View 2 ImagesPeople on North Bridge in Edinburgh battle with umbrellas as they brave heavy rain(Image: Katielee Arrowsmith SWNS)
While rain is also forecast to hit north-east and south-west England, and Northern Ireland, Scots are predicted to see the heaviest rain in the UK.
The forecast comes a day after millions of Brits were told they are now living in a drought, as the Environment Agency declared half of England is in drought.
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The seven drought regions include East Anglia, Hertfordshire and the whole of London, Thames Valley, Hampshire & the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, West Midlands, and Wessex (covering Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, and south Gloucestershire).
Drought will continue in those areas on Thursday, as south-east England will enjoy a high-20-degree heatwave, with London at 26C and Rochester, Kent, reaching 28C.