Scotland will bathe in Easter sunshine with temperatures expected to soar to 20C in areas including Glasgow, Inverness and Ayrshire on Good Friday.

The country's warmest day of the year so far was in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, in February, with temperatures reaching 18.2C.

That is now expected to be broken, with warm air from North Africa arriving in time for the Easter weekend.

"The next few days will be Scotland's warmest of the year so far as warm air moves north from North Africa," STV Weather presenter Sean Batty said.

"The best days will be Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Saturday, but by Easter Sunday a weather front will move in from the north to break the fine spell with some outbreaks of rain.

"There's not going to be wall-to-wall sunshine, with often large amounts of cloud coming and going, but the main thing is for most it will be dry and pleasant.

"The highest temperatures in the coming days will occur in the north and west, with some of the warmest conditions across the north and west Highlands, Moray, inland Argyll, around Glasgow and Ayrshire.

"Temperatures could reach 20-21C around Inverness and along the Moray coast on Good Friday, exceeding the previous highest temperature for the year so far, of 18C in Aboyne back in February.

"The east coast will always be a lot cooler than elsewhere due to an onshore wind from the North Sea. Over the coming days temperatures will generally range from 9C to 12C, although a slight change in wind direction on Saturday could allow temperatures to head for the high teens."

Sean also warned that there will be a higher amount of pollen in the air, with Asthma UK urging hayfever and asthma sufferers to take prescribed medication and to keep inhalers close-by.

"The southerly air flow is also bringing a much-enhanced level of pollen, which could cause issues for those with respiratory problems," Sean said.

"At this time of year it is more likely to be higher levels of pollen from trees rather than grass, although the warmer spell of weather in February has likely moved the season a few weeks earlier than normal.

"The Birch tree gives off most of its pollen during April and given our southerly flow crossing France where there are usually very high levels of birch pollen, this will head north towards Scotland.

"The highest levels will occur in the south and east of the country, but reduce as rain moves south on Easter Sunday.

"After some rain on Sunday, Easter Monday should be a bit better again for most of the country, although further rain will move into the Hebrides later in the day. For all areas it will be cooler with highs around 10-15C."