THE MET Office has extended its warning of extreme heat to cover Fife, the Lothians and parts of Tayside.

An amber weather warning was already in place for much of southern Scotland on Monday and Tuesday.

But now the forecasters have warned people in Dundee, Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife, Perth, Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and eastern parts of Lanarkshire to expect potentially record temperatures. 

While these areas will see more extreme temperatures, the Met Office has said it will be warm across much of the country, especially up the east coast to the Moray Firth. 

The amber warning is in place between 00.00 on Monday 18 July to 23.59 on Tuesday 19 July, when cooler Atlantic air should help return the temperature "to more normal values."

The Met Office has said the hot spell could lead to “widespread impacts on people” including “adverse health effects” being experienced “by those vulnerable to extreme heat.” 

The wider population is “likely to experience some adverse health effects including sunburn or heat exhaustion (dehydration, nausea, fatigue) and other heat related illnesses.”

They have also warned that as more people are likely to visit coastal areas, lakes and rivers in a bid to cool down this could lead to “an increased risk of water safety incidents.”

Meanwhile, train firms have warned passengers to avoid travelling on Monday and Tuesday unless their journey is “absolutely necessary”.

The Scottish heatwave is still relatively cool compared to the forecast south of the border, where a national emergency has been declared with the Met Office issuing their first red extreme heat warning.

Temperatures in areas including London Manchester and York could hit 41C at the start of next week. 

Taking to Twitter, the First Minister urged Scots to "look out for others who may be suffering from the heat."

She also asked people to "keep out of direct sun and stay well hydrated."

Keith Brown, the Scottish Government’s minister for resilience, said the government's resilience arrangments had been activated.

He said: “We are aware of the extension to the weather warnings currently in place and are receiving regular updates from partners including the Met Office and emergency services.

"Our resilience arrangements have been activated and stand ready at all times to coordinate a response to severe weather issues where required. We will continue to closely monitor developments.  

“When temperatures increase, it’s important to monitor forecasts and follow public health advice, including staying hydrated and drinking plenty of fluids and avoiding excess alcohol.

“I would also urge people to look out for vulnerable family, friends and neighbours, as older people, those with underlying conditions and those living alone may struggle to keep cool and hydrated.

“Water safety incidents and drownings increase in hot weather and people should be aware of the dangers and use supervised beaches and pools when possible – follow the Water Safety Code and in an emergency call 999.

“If you are planning on travelling to the areas covered by the Red warning, you should be prepared for significant disruption and may want to consider delaying your travel. If you decide to travel, you should prepare appropriately, and keep-up to date with travel alerts.”

The Met Office has urged people to stay indoors or shaded between 11am and 3pm when the sun is at its hottest. They also told people to drink plenty of cool fluids throughout the day and eat cold foods with high water content such as salads and fruit.

They say taking a cool shower, bath or body wash can help, as can sprinkling water over skin or clothing.

They also recommend avoiding extreme physical exertion.