Four people died as tragedy struck Scotland during its hottest weekend in more than two years.
As thousands headed to beauty spots as the mercury topped 30C, a 15-year-old boy died in Glasgow’s River Kelvin on Saturday evening and a man died after being pulled from Loch Lomond.
Elsewhere a 63-year-old woman fell and died at the Campsie Glen waterfall and a motorcyclist was killed in a six vehicle pile-up on the main route to the Highlands.
Saturday marked Scotland’s hottest day in more than two years, with scorching highs of 32.2C hitting Aviemore in the Highlands.
The sweltering heat drove thousands of Scots to scenic areas like Troon and Loch Lomond in a bid to cool off and soak up the sunshine, whilst in Glasgow the TRNSMT music festival
But authorities urged sunseekers to enjoy the weather safely after a series of tragedies.
Emergency services launched a rescue operation on the River Kelvin, near Maryhill Road in Glasgow at around 6.40pm on Saturday.
It was later announced that a 15-year-old boy had died.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: ‘Emergency services attended and around 23:30 the body of a male was recovered from the water.
‘Inquiries are ongoing, however, the death is not being treated as suspicious.’
Meanwhile, two fire engines and two water rescue teams were sent to Campsie Glen waterfall car park for the 63-year-old woman.
The alarm was raised at the Dunbartonshire beauty spot at around 12.35pm on Saturday that the woman had fallen.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
A police spokesman said: ‘Around 12.35pm on Saturday, 12 July, 2025, police received a report a 63-year-old woman had fallen near Campsie Glen Waterfall Car Park.
‘Emergency services attended and the woman died at the scene. Her family is aware.
‘The death is not being treated as suspicious and a report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal.’
Emergency crews also rescued a 50-year-old man from Loch Lomond on Saturday night. He was rushed to the Royal Alexandria hospital in Paisley by died yesterday.
Police said his death was being ‘treated as unexplained, but there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances’.
The Loch Lomond Rescue boat team said it had responded to ‘a serious incident on a beach between Inveruglas and Ardlui’.
Also on Saturday six vehicles collided on the A82 northbound between Renton and Balloch, which sits at the south shore of Loch Lomond, and a 71-year-old motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sergeant Kenny Malaney of Road Policing West said: ‘Our inquiries are continuing to establish the full circumstances of what happened. Sadly, the male motorcyclist died, and our thoughts are with his family and friends.
‘The road would have been busy at the time and I would ask anyone who may have witnessed the crash, or who may have dash-cam footage to contact us as soon as possible.’
The spate of incidents prompted a warning from Peter Farrer, Chief Operating Officer at Scottish Water’s, who said: ‘While people should enjoy any good weather we have and take pleasure at Scotland’s beautiful lochs, reservoirs, rivers and beaches, it’s absolutely vital they stay safe at all times and act responsibly.
‘As a number of tragic deaths in Scotland in recent years have shown, safety is a serious issue in all bodies of water.’
In Glasgow, 150,000 music fans descended on Glasgow Green despite the sweltering temperatures, prompting a string of warnings about heatstroke.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde told festival-goers to protect themselves from ‘burns and heat exhaustion’, while Luke Pritchard, frontman of rock band The Kooks urged crowds to opt for ‘peace and Love and sun cream’.
Biffy Clyro singer Simon Neil jokingly dubbed the city ‘Glasgow Del Sol’ as temperatures rose to 29C, and Norwegian singer Sigrid admitted that performing in the heat had left her feeling ill.
Sigrid said: ‘Honestly, I gotta admit, I’m not feeling very well. I’m okay, but I’m not used to the heat.’
She added: ‘I was very impressed by how [the crowds] braved the heat. This is probably one of the hottest shows we’ve ever done […] I honestly was wondering am I gonna faint soon.’
Security teams monitoring the main stage during the star’s performance even resorted to spraying the struggling crowds with water to help them cool down.
The weekend’s heat marked something of a last hurrah for revellers before thunderstorms sweep in during the week.
In a return to the temperamental weather that it more expected of Scottish summertime, forecasters have warned that cooler temperatures and scattered showers are on the horizon.
Greg Dewhurst, Senior Operational Meteorologist at the Met Office, said: ‘Low pressure is starting to move in, so we’ll see and increased risk of showers and longer spells of rain starting to travel across the whole of Scotland on Monday morning. These could become heavy at times, and probably a bit thundery in some areas.’
He added: ‘It could be a very mixed week, but temperatures will certainly fall after the weekend’s highs. Later in the week we could see 22C or 23C at best, but 21 across the board is looking likely for the Central Belt.’
The forecast for the week predicts temperatures in the low 20s along with rain.
The record for Scotland’s hottest day was set in July 2022 when 34.8C was reached in Charterhall in Berwickshire.