Wick experiences 'near-tropical' night during heat wave
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The record for the warmest night in Wick for the month of June was surpassed during the recent hot spell in Caithness.
Keen weather watcher Keith Banks said that a trend is emerging due to the effects of climate change.
He explained: "Last Saturday night the ambient temperature in Wick did not fall below a remarkable 15.0C. Hardly surprisingly, it was difficult to get any refreshing sleep.
"This value surpassed the previous record for June's minimum temperature in the town by a significant margin. The previous record with respect to the recognised meteorological protocols for lowest minimum air temperature for any 24-hour period (ending 9am GMT) in Wick was 13.8C – logged on June 19, 1984.
"The Met Office have now confirmed that this temperature is indeed a new record for this particular variable for the town.
"During Saturday night the temperature in the town actually climbed as high as 19.1C, and the thermometer was still holding up at 18.2C at 4.10am on Sunday morning.
"To put the outstanding warmth experienced in Wick last Saturday night into context, the current meteorological criteria for a so called 'tropical night' is a minimum of 20C or higher."
