Average weather, temperature, rainfall, sunshine hours
The climate of Kirkwall is
oceanic, with cold, rainy winters and cool, cloudy summers. The wind often blows, and can sometimes be stormy, especially in the colder half of the year.
Kirkwall is the main city of the Orkney Islands, located north of Scotland.
The
average temperature of the coldest month (February) is of 4.1 °C (39 °F), that of the warmest month (August) is of 13.2 °C (56 °F). The lowest record is -7.8 °C (18.0 °F), the highest is 25.6 °C (78 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Kirkwall - Average temperatures| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|
| Min (°C) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 2 |
|---|
| Max (°C) | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 7 |
|---|
| Min (°F) | 36 | 36 | 36 | 39 | 43 | 46 | 50 | 50 | 48 | 45 | 39 | 36 |
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| Max (°F) | 43 | 43 | 46 | 50 | 54 | 57 | 61 | 61 | 57 | 52 | 48 | 45 |
|---|
amounts to 1,040 millimeters (40.9 inches) per year: so, it is at an intermediate level. It ranges from 50 mm (2 in) in the driest month (May) to 125 mm (4.9 in) in the wettest ones (October, November). Here is the average precipitation.
Kirkwall - Average precipitation| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|
| Prec.(mm) | 110 | 95 | 95 | 60 | 50 | 55 | 55 | 65 | 95 | 125 | 125 | 110 | 1040 |
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| Prec.(in) | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 2.4 | 2 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 40.9 |
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| Days | 20 | 17 | 18 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 189 |
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On average, there are around 1,170
sunshine hours per year; so, the sun is rarely seen. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.
Kirkwall - Sunshine| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|
| Hours | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
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The
sea temperature ranges between 7 °C (45 °F) and 13 °C (55 °F). So, it is cold all year round. Here are the average sea temperatures.
Kirkwall - Sea temperature| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|
| Temp (°C) | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 |
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| Temp (°F) | 46 | 46 | 45 | 45 | 48 | 52 | 55 | 55 | 55 | 54 | 52 | 50 |
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Best Time
The best time to visit Kirkwall is the summer, from June to August, since it is the mildest season. However, there are often cloudy skies, wind, rain and a bit of cold at night.