Scottish sunrises and sunsets likely tinged by wildfire smoke

Smoke from wildfires may have contributed to colourful sunrises and sunsets seen from parts of Scotland, says the Met Office.

There have been several large fires across the country over the past few days.

A Met Office spokesperson said: “The current fine and settled spell of weather has resulted in a number of wildfires over Scotland which may be contributing to the colourful skies at dawn and dusk.

“Some high cloud called cirrus has probably also contributed to the colours.”

The Met Office has more information on causes of colourful sunrises and sunsets on its website.

Firefighters were called to about 90 outdoor fires last weekend including large fires in the Galloway Forest Park in Dumfries and Galloway, and Inverpolly Forest in the Highlands.

A huge smoke haze from a wildfire in Inverclyde prompted ships on the River Clyde to sound their foghorns on Monday.

Fumes from the blaze near Inverkip drifted over Greenock, with social media reports saying ships issued warning blasts due to low visibility.

In the past 24 hours, firefighters extinguished a mile-long wildfire in Glendale, Skye.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said an “extreme” wildfire warning had been issued for the south west, eastern, central, and north of Scotland for Thursday.