Scotland weather to change as 'heavy' rains break long dry spell
The Met Office's rain radar shows that the wet weather front is due to make landfall in the Hebrides at around 3-4pm on Friday.
The rain will then continue to move east, bringing rain onto the mainland later in Friday evening and Saturday.
The changing weather will come as a relief following a period of water scarcity that has hit every part of Scotland.
Here's how Friday is shaping up weather wise ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/VBdVOieDg0 — Met Office (@metoffice) May 22, 2025
Alex Deakin, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said: 'The weather patterns are changing just in time for the Bank Holiday weekend.
'It's going to be a messy one, with some welcomed rain, certainly welcomed by many gardeners and farmers, but there'll still be some sunny spells to be had.'
Deakin said that the 'first set of weather fronts' would cross the country on Friday night and may be 'heavy for a time'.
He said that western Scotland would see heavy, frequent showers, with 'even the chance of the odd rumble of thunder', but that the rain should clear out into the North Sea into Saturday.
The Met Office expert further said that an area of low pressure was now sitting north of Britain – where high pressure had been for the past month.
He explained: 'The jet stream is becoming a little more energised, not especially strong, but strong enough to pick up this low and send it just to the north of the UK.
READ MORE: River Spey at lowest May flow since 1952 as 17 areas at 'moderate water scarcity'
'That will bring a spell of wet weather and some strong winds across the far northwest during Sunday, and further weather fronts with a reasonably active jet stream to follow on behind for Monday.'
Although the rain will be a change, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has said that a prolonged spell of wetter weather will be needed to replenish low water levels.
Sepa said on Thursday evening that some parts of Fife have seen 'no measurable rainfall' for more than a month, and the ongoing dry spell has seen many of Scotland's rivers fall to 'record lows'.
Sepa there is a 'clear' environmental impact from the lack of water, and 'action is expected from abstractors (such as agriculture and industry) to protect rivers and the species that rely on them'.
Eilidh Johnston, Sepa's senior manager in water industry and rural economy, warned the agency may have to take 'measures' to restrict water use if the dry weather continues.
'A few days of rain will not undo months of drier than average weather,' she said. 'We need well above average rainfall over a sustained period to see any recovery, especially in the east.
'It has been the driest start to a year in Scotland since 1964. Fife has had no significant rain for over a month and groundwater levels are some of the lowest on record for the time of year. So, we're seeing some quite significant issues coming.
'I'm urging anyone who has a licence from Sepa to take water from the environment to ensure you are doing everything you can to use water efficiently.
'If the weather continues without significant additional rain, we'll have to take measures to reduce the amount of water that can be taken from the environment.
'The steps you take now are very important in delaying that action.'
The agency has also warned of environmental risks from the first heavy rainfall following a dry spell, due to the water washing pollutants from roads and land into rivers.
The agency explained this can create a 'short-term shock' to ecosystems, which it said is a 'known risk' for fish deaths.
It appealed to anyone concerned about a 'fish kill' to report it to Sepa as soon as possible so they can ensure there is no ongoing pollution incident.
Scottish Water earlier issued a statement thanking Scots for saving 60 million litres of water a day, which it said was helping the company 'protect resources and maintain normal supplies across the country'.
Kes Juskowiak, a Scottish Water director, said: 'We'd like to say a massive thank-you to everyone who has helped reduce water demand by using what is a precious resource as efficiently as possible, but we need customers to continue their support and to take whatever measures they can to do so.
'The system remains under significant pressure and so we'd like to encourage everyone to continue to use Scotland's water as efficiently as possible.'
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