The number of snow patches across a huge swathe of Scotland still surviving this summer has fallen to 90 - the third lowest on records going back 50 years. It is far lower than the highs of more than 2,000 recorded in the 1970s and 1980s. The two lowest years have also fallen this century, with just 31 in 2003 and 53 in 2017. Iain Cameron, who now leads the survey, said: 'It tells you very much that there's less snow than there used to be. There's no doubt about that.
Its chief executive Prof Liz Bentley said: 'Snow patches are an important indicator of climate change and the annual records highlight the variability in our climate from year to year as well as the long-term changes.' Read more: Hurricane Beryl heads towards Cancun as Royal Navy sends aid shipWhy Google's greenhouse gas emissions have surged The changes are similar to those seen in the melt or disappearance of other glaciers, she said.