, 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.
is long and runs from mid-November to mid-April, and it is cold but not freezing: the average temperature is a few degrees above freezing (0 °C or 32 °F). Wind and humidity, however, together with the lack of sunshine, exacerbate the sensation of cold.
Owing to the latitude, the days are very short from November to January. On December 21, the shortest day of the year, the sun rises at 9:11 am and sets at 3:35 pm.
are quite frequent, though not abundant. Cold winds of polar origin blow quite often, but owing to the presence of the sea, the temperature does not drop by much, so there can be light frosts, but it rarely drops below -5/-6 °C (21/23 °F). Furthermore, even during cold periods, the maximum temperature almost always exceeds freezing. The coldest record is -12.2 °C (10 °F) and was set in January 1960.
On the other hand, in periods when the mild westerlies blow, the temperature remains a few degrees above freezing, and can even reach 10/12 °C (50/54 °F), however, in these situations, the sky remains cloudy, and wind and rain are frequent. Intense Atlantic depressions, which often occur in this area, can bring gale-force winds, and cause sea storms.
, from mid-April to late May, is cold: the temperature remains low, and wintery periods are still possible, with snow showers, even in the first half of May. However, the days are long, the wind slows down a bit, and every so often, you can see the sun.
, from June to August, is very cool, humid and rainy, and sometimes windy. Sometimes fog can form.
On the warmest days of the year, the temperature typically rises to 23/24 °C (73/75 °F), although the highest record is 26.3 °C (79.3 °F), set in August 1999.
On the other hand, the days are very long. On June 21, the longest day of the year, the sun rises at 4:20 am and sets at 10:34 pm. Since we are at a high latitude (at the 58h parallel), the white nights occur from May 19 to July 24, in which it is not completely dark even at midnight.
In addition, summer is the least windy season, even though some days with strong wind are still possible.
, from September to mid-November, is cloudy, rainy and windy, and it gets progressively colder.
The best time to visit Stornoway 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.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January is generally a quite cold month. The average temperature is of
5.1 °C, with a minimum of
2.7 °C and a maximum of
7.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-2 °C. However, it dropped to
-4.2 °C in January 1995.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
11 °C. However, it reached
14.4 °C in January 1998.
Precipitation amounts to
145 mm, distributed over 21 days.
The day lasts on average 7 hours and 20 minutes. So the days are short.
There is an average of 1 hour of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 14% of the time.
The average humidity is 84%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
25.5 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
8.3 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
February, the coldest month of the year, is generally a quite cold month. The average temperature is of
5 °C, with a minimum of
2.4 °C and a maximum of
7.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-2.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-5.2 °C in February 1995.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
11 °C. However, it reached
13.5 °C in February 2019.
Precipitation amounts to
110 mm, distributed over 18 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 2 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 23% of the time.
The average humidity is 82%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
24.9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
7.5 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
March is generally a quite cold month. The average temperature is of
5.8 °C, with a minimum of
3.2 °C and a maximum of
8.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-2 °C. However, it dropped to
-6.4 °C in March 2001.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
12 °C. However, it reached
16.6 °C in March 2012.
Precipitation amounts to
105 mm, distributed over 18 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 55 minutes.
There are on average 3.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 29% of the time.
The average humidity is 82%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
23.6 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
7.1 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
April is generally a quite mild month. The average temperature is of
7.5 °C, with a minimum of
4.6 °C and a maximum of
10.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-0.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-3 °C in April 2016.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
14.5 °C. However, it reached
20.8 °C in April 2003.
Precipitation amounts to
75 mm, distributed over 15 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 36% of the time.
The average humidity is 80%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
20.5 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
7.4 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
May is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
9.5 °C, with a minimum of
6.4 °C and a maximum of
12.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
1 °C. However, it dropped to
-1.7 °C in May 1995.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
18.5 °C. However, it reached
23.2 °C in May 2012.
Precipitation amounts to
70 mm, distributed over 14 days.
The day lasts on average 16 hours and 50 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 39% of the time.
The average humidity is 79%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
19 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
8.7 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
June is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
11.8 °C, with a minimum of
9 °C and a maximum of
14.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
4.5 °C. However, it dropped to
1.6 °C in June 2015.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
19.5 °C. However, it reached
23.6 °C in June 2006.
Precipitation amounts to
65 mm, distributed over 13 days.
The day lasts on average 18 hours and 5 minutes. So the days are very long. June 21, the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 5.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 30% of the time.
The average humidity is 81%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
18.8 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
10.7 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
July is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
13.6 °C, with a minimum of
10.8 °C and a maximum of
16.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
6.5 °C. However, it dropped to
4 °C in July 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
21.5 °C. However, it reached
26.2 °C in July 2003.
Precipitation amounts to
75 mm, distributed over 14 days.
The day lasts on average 17 hours and 25 minutes. So the days are very long.
There are on average 4.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 26% of the time.
The average humidity is 83%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
17.2 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
12.6 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
August, the warmest month of the year, is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
13.6 °C, with a minimum of
11 °C and a maximum of
16.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
6.5 °C. However, it dropped to
4.4 °C in August 2016.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
20.5 °C. However, it reached
26.3 °C in August 1999.
Precipitation amounts to
90 mm, distributed over 15 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 10 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 4.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 28% of the time.
The average humidity is 84%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
17.4 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
13.4 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
September is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
12.1 °C, with a minimum of
9.5 °C and a maximum of
14.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
4.5 °C. However, it dropped to
0.8 °C in September 1991.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
18.5 °C. However, it reached
21.7 °C in September 2005.
Precipitation amounts to
105 mm, distributed over 16 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 40 minutes.
There are on average 3.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 29% of the time.
The average humidity is 84%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
19.2 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
12.6 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
October is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
9.5 °C, with a minimum of
7 °C and a maximum of
12 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
2 °C. However, it dropped to
-1 °C in October 2002.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
15.5 °C. However, it reached
17.6 °C in October 2006.
Precipitation amounts to
135 mm, distributed over 20 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 10 minutes.
There are on average 2.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 25% of the time.
The average humidity is 83%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
21.5 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
11.6 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
November is generally a quite mild month. The average temperature is of
7 °C, with a minimum of
4.5 °C and a maximum of
9.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-0.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-3.7 °C in November 2010.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
13 °C. However, it reached
16.3 °C in November 2003.
Precipitation amounts to
130 mm, distributed over 21 days.
The day lasts on average 7 hours and 50 minutes. So the days are short.
There are on average 1.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 19% of the time.
The average humidity is 83%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
22.2 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
10.7 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
December is generally a quite cold month. The average temperature is of
5.3 °C, with a minimum of
2.8 °C and a maximum of
7.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-2.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-7.4 °C in December 1995.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
12 °C. However, it reached
13.6 °C in December 2016.
Precipitation amounts to
140 mm, distributed over 21 days.
The day lasts on average 6 hours and 30 minutes. So the days are short. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There is an average of 1 hour of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 13% of the time.
The average humidity is 84%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
23.2 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
9.5 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.