The 1st of September has dawned, and summer is coming to a close.
But did it ever really arrive? Scots will be wondering after a washout couple of months that dampened hopes of barbecues and basking in the sun.
What’s gone wrong with the weather?
Where did summer go?
Like Scotland’s football teams in Europe this year – except Hibs - Scotland's summer of 2023 was a tale of two halves.
First came the exciting early days, full of promise and good feeling, only for reality to come crushing back with a vengeance in the latter days.
READ MORE: Met Office reveals this year's storm names
Records were broken in the first weeks of summer as the country sweltered In a heatwave which saw Scotland and the UK recorded their hottest month of June on record, with some parts of Scotland seeing the mean temperature 2.5C higher than average.
The Daviot wildfire
This heatwave followed a dry spell in May that led to wildfires across the country, including the biggest ever recorded at Cannich in the Highlands. This was followed by another blaze at Daviot.
On 12 June, a temperature of 30.7C was recorded in Threave, Dumfries and Galloway - making it the hottest day of the year so far.
But then the weather broke
Thunderstorms in late June, including a spectacular downpour in Glasgow as Scotland faced Georgia in a European qualifier, gave a hint of things to come.
The intense storms brought about 10 days of rain in the space of an hour, with stadium staff resorting to wooden brooms, while trying to sweep the torrents of water swimming on the pitch.
This was a taste of things to come – with July seeing Scotland record 50% more rain than normal.
Scott McTominay at a rain-soaked Hampden
And August was no better – with low pressure seeing weather system after weather system barrel in from the Atlantic, brining rain and cool temperatures, including two named storms: Antoni and Betty.
Although Antoni had more significant impacts elsewhere in the UK, Betty brought Yellow rain warnings to Scotland, along with gales.
READ MORE: Tenerife - Thousands evacuated amid out-of-control wildfire
And the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) issued nine flood alerts.
It was only the second time since 2015 that the UK has seen two named storms in August.
At least the rest of Europe was suffering too?
Well, they were – but at the other extreme. Heatwaves rolled across Europe for much of the summer months, bringing their own problems with wildfires in Greece and Spain causing devastation.
Across the summer two ‘heat domes’ formed over mainland Europe, - an extreme weather phenomenon that developed in part due to the stuck weather systems.
Why were weather patterns so extreme?
Experts say the Jet Stream, which brings warm air up to Europe and fans the heat of summer, became stuck during the past months.
Weather charts show it resolutely sticking to the continent, while the UK lingered in cooler weather systems above.
Why did it do that?
The weather is unpredictable, and decent summers in recent years mean there’s always a washout in temperate Britain.
This year is also said be an ‘El Nino’ year – where warmer water temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere disrupts weather patterns across the globe.
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