Pictures: Edinburgh’s Royal Mile during sunshine today and snow 12 months ago

Contrasting weather scenes on the Royal Mile today and 12 months ago. Pic: Jane Barlow

But 12 months ago it was a very different case - as illustrated by these contrasting scenes on the Royal Mile - when the Beast from the East brought snow in abundance and transport chaos to the Capital.

This is why February has been so warm – and how long the good weather will last

Yet last week, the 122-year record for Scotland’s warmest ever February was broken in Aboyne in Aberdeenshire when a daily maximum of 18.3C was recorded - the previous high was 17.9C.

Today on the Royal Mile. Pic: Jane Barlow

According to Met Office meterologist Sophie Yeomans, the mercury still reached 17.2C in parts of Aberdeenshire earlier today.

And she said a daily high of 14.1C was recorded in Gogar Bank in the outskirts of the Capital today.

Ms Yeomans said: “This is till very warm for the time of year, as it’s usually about 7-8C.”

She said the daily high for Edinburgh on February 26th last year was 4.2C. The lowest temperature recorded in the city that day was -0.6C.

During the Beast from the East last February. Pic: Jane Barlow

Ms Yeomans said that Edinburgh was one of the warmest parts of Scotland today, with temperatures reaching 12-13C in other parts of the country.

In the Western Isles, daily highs were lower at 9-10C but still above the February average.

Today at Kew Gardens, the UK’s ‘hottest February’ record was broken for the second consecutive day, with 21.2C recorded at Kew Gardens in West London.

Ms Yeomans added: “We are getting a lot of warm air coming up from the Atlantic and from the Sahara region, with winds bringins it towards the UK.”

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