Tropical air gives unseasonal feel to Wick

THE north has been experiencing unseasonally mild temperatures since the beginning of the week, according to local weather watcher Keith Banks.

He said Wick experienced its second warmest December night on record on Wednesday when the mercury never fell below 10.2 degrees Celsius (50.4 Fahrenheit). The warmest overnight minimum for December in Wick since records began was 10.3C (50.5F) and occurred almost 42 years ago on December 24, 1971. The December norm for overnight temperature is 1.4C (34.5F).

"The unusual mildness since the beginning of the week has been caused by the development of a large anticyclone over western Europe that has blocked the usual west to east progression of the Atlantic depressions and their fronts while creating a broad south to south west airflow across the far north of Scotland that has subsequently sourced warm sub tropical air from as far away as Tenerife," said Mr Banks.