Updated: 2026-07-31
The warmest August day ever recorded at the nearest meteorological station to Glasgow reached 28.2°C – the monthly heat record — set on 12 August 1995. That afternoon in mid-August stands as the single highest temperature measured in the month of August across the entire observing period from 1968 to 2001 at this station.
The point of measurement closest to Glasgow is the Aberfoyle station (in Perthshire-in-Central-Region), situated at 28 m altitude, roughly 35.6 km from the city centre. These are its historical records. It is important to note that Glasgow's urban microclimate, with its dense buildings, river Clyde and proximity to the Firth, can differ from this rural site. Aberfoyle sits in a valley near the Trossachs; local conditions there may be warmer or cooler than in the city on any given day. The data below is the best available reference for the area, not an exact measurement of Glasgow itself.
The August temperature record at Aberfoyle is a modest one, typical of western Scotland's maritime climate. The highest maximum temperature ever recorded in August during the 34-year period with complete data was 28.2°C, logged on 12 August 1995. This value has not been beaten since, standing as the benchmark for late-summer heat in the area.
To put that number in perspective: 12 August 1995 is a date that falls right in the middle of the traditional Scottish holiday season, a time when many families would have been outdoors. A reading of 28.2°C in the shade at Aberfoyle represents a genuinely warm summer day for this part of Scotland, where August averages are typically far below this peak. While such temperatures might seem unremarkable for southern England, they are significant this far north and west, where the Atlantic exerts a strong moderating influence.
The record from 1995 is notable not just for its value but for its persistence. In the years following, no August day at Aberfoyle has managed to exceed that mark. This speaks to the variability of Scottish summer weather – warm spells occur, but they rarely produce extreme heat at this inland valley location.
Interestingly, the record occurred in a decade known for several warm summers across the UK. August 1995 was part of a notably hot summer across much of Britain, and this station's data confirms that the heat extended into the central Scottish lowlands.
The records cover a continuous period from 1 January 1968 to 1 October 2001. Over these 34 years of observations, the Met Office station at Aberfoyle recorded daily maximum temperatures for August. The data used here comes from the official Met Office MIDAS archive, held at the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis (CEDA).
| Metric | Value | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Highest August maximum temperature (record) | 28.2°C | 12 August 1995 |
The table above summarizes the single most important figure for anyone asking how hot August can get near Glasgow. The record of 28.2°C is the absolute ceiling measured at this station. No other day in August, in any year between 1968 and 2001, came out warmer.
This is the number to remember: if you see a forecast approaching this value for the Aberfoyle area in August, you are looking at once-in-a-generation heat for this location.
Aberfoyle's location at 28 m above sea level places it in the low-lying valley of the River Forth system, sheltered by the Trossachs hills to the north. This geography can occasionally trap warm air, but also allows cool air to pool on calm nights. The 35.6 km distance from Glasgow means that urban heat island effects present in the city centre – which can add a degree or two on calm, clear nights – are absent here. For daytime maximum temperatures, however, the two locations often track closely, making this record a reliable indicator of what Glasgow itself might have experienced on 12 August 1995.
Source: Met Office – Aberfoyle station, observing period 1968–2001. Data from the Met Office MIDAS archive, held at CEDA (Centre for Environmental Data Analysis).
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