Sutherland village recorded 'coldest September temperature for 20 years'; the mercury plunged to -5C in Altnaharra last night, while temperatures dropped below -2C widely across many other Highland spots

A SUTHERLAND village is once again living up to it moniker as the coldest spot in the UK after the mercury plunged last night.

The temperature fell to roughly -5C in Altnaharra – making it one of the coldest September nights reported in Scotland for more than 20 years.

BBC weather presenter Matt Taylor, who is also a former senior operational meteorologist at the Met Office, confirmed the news on Twitter this morning.

Of course, -5C is nothing unusual in winter in Altnaharra, which holds the record for the coldest temperature ever documented in the UK. On December 30, 1995, the mercury plunged to an Arctic -27.2C (-17F).

Altnaharra wasn't the only slightly chilly place in the Sutherland last night. Highlands and Islands Weather ( twitter.com/highlandweather ) revealed that Kinbrace was not far behind Altnaharra's low, recording a temperature of close to -4.5C.

Weather stations at Klibreck and Banscol also recorded temperatures near to -3C.

And the likes of Carrbridge, Drumochter, Corrimony (west of Drumnadrochit), Strath Garve, Tomatin and Newtonmore were among numerous places in the wider Highlands where temperatures fell below -2C.

But, with the weather set fair, and a sunny day forecast in many Highland spots, the mercury is already rising.

Chilly night-time conditions are expected to persist into the weekend however, with northerly winds expected to keep temperatures lower despite plenty of sunshine in the forecast.

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