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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 15°C, while the coldest is February averaging around 1°C at night. Around 1188 mm of precipitation falls each year, peaking in January (139 mm) and easing off in May (54 mm). 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 (°C) | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Avg temp (°C) | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 |
| Avg low (°C) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 139 | 115 | 102 | 65 | 54 | 58 | 65 | 86 | 103 | 126 | 136 | 139 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 12 |
| Avg temp (°C) | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Avg low (°C) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 139 | 115 | 102 | 65 | 54 | 58 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 14 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Avg temp (°C) | 12 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 |
| Avg low (°C) | 9 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 65 | 86 | 103 | 126 | 136 | 139 |
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.