A study commissioned by the Scottish Executive has found that Scotland will get warmer, but will also have to endure sharper cold snaps.

It recommends that housing should be built more along Nordic lines, and even raises the prospect of electricity coming from Iceland.

The study was commissioned to assess the possible impact of climate change.

It found that Scotland would experience:

• Annual average warming of between 2 and 3C and an annual rainfall increase of around 20%.

• Changes in summer rain will vary from a possible 20% increase in the west of Scotland to a slight reduction in the east.

• Rainfall will also increase in all seasons. Intense rain, expected every two years, will increase by up to 15% for every 10C of warming.

• For most parts of Scotland, wind speed thresholds will increase in all seasons with some of the largest increases occurring in spring.