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Lerwick, Scotland climate
Cfc Subpolar oceanic
Lerwick has a mildly seasonal cold-temperate climate (Subpolar oceanic, Köppen Cfc). The hottest month is August with an average daily high near 58°F, while the coldest is February averaging around 34°F at night. Around 47 inches of precipitation falls each year, peaking in January (5.5 inches) and easing off in May (2.1 inches). At latitude 60°N, day length swings from 5.5 hours in midwinter to 18.5 hours at midsummer.
Temperature & precipitation
Daily high–low temperature range with the monthly average, plus monthly precipitation · 1991–2020 normals · hover a month for the exact figuresHours of sunshine per day
Estimated sunny hours each month — daylight length × clear-sky fraction · 1991–2020 monthly cloud cover (NASA POWER)Lerwick climate normals (1991–2020)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 43 | 42 | 44 | 47 | 51 | 54 | 58 | 58 | 55 | 51 | 46 | 44 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 39 | 38 | 40 | 42 | 46 | 50 | 53 | 53 | 51 | 46 | 42 | 39 |
| Avg low (°F) | 35 | 34 | 36 | 38 | 41 | 45 | 49 | 49 | 46 | 41 | 38 | 35 |
| Precipitation (in) | 5.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 5.5 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 43 | 42 | 44 | 47 | 51 | 54 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 39 | 38 | 40 | 42 | 46 | 50 |
| Avg low (°F) | 35 | 34 | 36 | 38 | 41 | 45 |
| Precipitation (in) | 5.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.3 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 58 | 58 | 55 | 51 | 46 | 44 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 53 | 53 | 51 | 46 | 42 | 39 |
| Avg low (°F) | 49 | 49 | 46 | 41 | 38 | 35 |
| Precipitation (in) | 2.6 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 5.5 |
Sky & atmosphere
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 84 | 84 | 83 | 79 | 76 | 83 | 83 | 80 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 82 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 85 | 87 | 89 | 88 | 87 | 84 | 82 | 81 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 19.5 | 18.7 | 17.2 | 14.9 | 12.7 | 11.9 | 11.1 | 11.9 | 14.6 | 17.1 | 18.3 | 18.4 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 84 | 84 | 83 | 79 | 76 | 83 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 82 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 85 | 87 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 19.5 | 18.7 | 17.2 | 14.9 | 12.7 | 11.9 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 83 | 80 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 89 | 88 | 87 | 84 | 82 | 81 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 11.1 | 11.9 | 14.6 | 17.1 | 18.3 | 18.4 |
Methodology & sources
Temperature & precipitation — 1991–2020 normals computed from 30 years of daily observations at Lerwick, a weather station, about 3 km from the city centre. The underlying daily records come from NOAA's global station network.
Cloud, humidity, wind & sunshine — modelled estimates from NASA POWER, NASA's satellite-and-reanalysis climatology. This is the standard global source for atmospheric variables, which are not measured at most weather stations.