Heatwave in Glasgow on 06 AUG 2003 (REX/Shutterstock)

THE week started off with such promise as Brits basked in the hottest day of the year last Tuesday.

But, just one day later, the heavens opened and heavy downpours and thunderstorms arrived to dampen the nation’s collective mood.

As the gutters filled, the inevitable claims of ‘summers were better when I was younger’ resurfaced.

The dreich weather seemed a far cry from the sizzling heat enjoyed 40 years earlier – in the famous summer of 1976.

That year the UK enjoyed 15 consecutive days when the temperature reached 32C or 90F.

For many Brits that sizzling summer is proof that previous generations enjoyed better summers.

People enjoying the hot sunshine in Gourock (Andrew Cawley/Sunday Post)

However, statistics from the Met Office show that while 1976 still holds the top spot – each decade has a close contender.

In fact, the 80s, 90s and Noughties have had at least one summer that, like 1976, was a dry, hot scorcher.

Jim Dale, meteorologist and founder of British Weather Services, said the best of the top-notch summers are cyclical.

Better yet, he reckons we are due another one soon.

He said: “We are overdue another summer like 1976. We had one in 1995 and they are cyclical.

“You can’t predict it to an exact year but you would expect every double decade to see one of these extremes.”

And he said that while July and August remain the warmest months in Scotland, people might find May, June and even September have better weather these days.

The scene on Brighton beach as temperatures soared to 80C, during June, 1976 (PA)

He said: “It used to be July and August that you got the best weather but of late it’s more late August and September and an early spring month.

“However, it swaps and bobs about because our weather is unpredictable.”

It’s now 40 years since the sizzling summer of 1976 – a period baked into the memories of millions.

To see how other decades have fared, The Sunday Post analysed weather data from 1976 right up to 2015 to find the summer scorchers and the woeful washouts. As you might guess, 1976 still stands out as the best summer in Scotland in the last 40 years.

However, 1995 is also a stand-out year and holds the top spot for summer sunshine while 2003 holds the record for being the hottest. Other notable summers include 1983 and 2013.

Mark McCarthy, climate scientist at the Met Office, said a run of wet summers between 2007 and 2012 may have led people to believe the weather is better in May and June in Scotland.

And he said that when you compare the Scottish summers from the most recent decade (2006-2015) with data from 1961-1990 it’s clear there have indeed been some changes.

For example, temperatures increased by 0.7C while summers now see around four days of extra rain.

Interestingly though, he said the amount of sunshine hasn’t really changed that much.

International Guide Camp, Blair Atholl (J. Armour-Milne)

TOP 10s: Warmest, Sunniest, Driest & Wettest

Driest month

There was little call for a brolly in April 1980, which holds the record for being the driest month in the last 40 years. Scotland got just 19.8mm of rain on average that month. Incredibly, that was less than the summer months of 1976.

Eastern promise

Visiting the east coast in the summer months is a real bright idea. The sunniest part of Scotland during the season is Fife and the surrounding area. St Andrews has an average of 523 hours of sunshine over the summer. The region also has the lowest number of days with rain.

Warmest month

Phew! Scorching July 2006 holds the record for the warmest month since 1976 at around 15.6C on average.

Sunniest month

May 2000 was a sunny delight – with 229.3 hours of sunshine, it was the sunniest month of the last 40 years.

West is best

Looking for a staycation destination? You could do a lot worse than the Inner Hebrides in in May with Tiree clocking 239 hours of sunshine on average.