Edinburgh weather by month & the best time to visit
🇬🇧 United Kingdom · city break · oceanic / maritime climate
The best time to visit Edinburgh is July — its sunniest month (Sunshine Score 58/100), with August and June close behind. Edinburgh averages about 1,292 hours of sunshine a year. Daytime highs around 18°C / 64°F and roughly 91 mm of rain in July.
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- Sun hours / year
- 1,292
- Sunniest month
- July
- Peak score
- 58/100
- Rain / year
- 889 mm
- Snow / year
- ≈11 cm
- Midday UV at peak
- 4 (moderate)
- Sea at warmest
- 16°C / 61°F
- Population
- 515k
- Elevation
- 29 m
When is the best time to visit Edinburgh?
For sunshine, the best time to visit Edinburgh is July, then August and June. The dullest month is January (0/100, 74 mm of rain). The full month-by-month picture is in the table below.
How sunny is Edinburgh?
Edinburgh isn't a sunny place by world standards: about 1,292 hours of sunshine a year. 58 Sunshine Score points separate July (58) from January (0), so the month you pick matters. It ranks #32 of 48 destinations in United Kingdom for annual sunshine, below the national median of 1,345 hours. The year's 889 mm of rain spreads fairly evenly across the months, with no pronounced dry season.
Sunshine Score by month
| Month | Score | Day high | Night low | Rain | UV | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | 6° / 43°F | 2° / 36°F | 74 mm | 0 | 6° / 43°F |
| February | 0 | 6° / 43°F | 2° / 36°F | 60 mm | 1 | 6° / 43°F |
| March | 0 | 8° / 46°F | 3° / 37°F | 60 mm | 1 | 7° / 45°F |
| April | 19 | 11° / 52°F | 4° / 39°F | 53 mm | 2 | 9° / 48°F |
| May | 37 | 14° / 57°F | 7° / 45°F | 60 mm | 4 | 13° / 55°F |
| June | 53 | 17° / 63°F | 10° / 50°F | 82 mm | 4 | 14° / 57°F |
| July | 58 | 18° / 64°F | 12° / 54°F | 91 mm | 4 | 15° / 59°F |
| August | 56 | 18° / 64°F | 11° / 52°F | 100 mm | 3 | 16° / 61°F |
| September | 49 | 16° / 61°F | 10° / 50°F | 64 mm | 2 | 14° / 57°F |
| October | 23 | 12° / 54°F | 7° / 45°F | 93 mm | 1 | 12° / 54°F |
| November | 6 | 9° / 48°F | 5° / 41°F | 79 mm | 0 | 10° / 50°F |
| December | 0 | 6° / 43°F | 3° / 37°F | 73 mm | 0 | 7° / 45°F |
Sea temperature in Edinburgh by month
The sea off Edinburgh is warmest in August at around 16°C / 61°F, and coolest in January at 6°C / 43°F. It never reaches comfortable swimming temperatures (21°C+). Month-by-month sea-surface temperatures are in the Sea column of the table above.
See Edinburgh on the interactive sunshine globe →
Nearby places for sunshine
- Glasgow United Kingdom · 67 km · best in Jul · 1,306 h sun/yr
- Glasgow United Kingdom · 90 km · best in Jul · 1,304 h sun/yr
- Newcastle upon Tyne United Kingdom · 147 km · best in Jul · 1,592 h sun/yr
- Aberdeen United Kingdom · 157 km · best in Jul · 1,300 h sun/yr
- Inverness United Kingdom · 182 km · best in Jul · 1,074 h sun/yr
- Castletown Isle of Man · 222 km · best in Jul · 1,459 h sun/yr
Nearest destinations
- Dundee United Kingdom · 60 km · 1,272 h sun/yr · best in Jul
- Oban United Kingdom · 138 km · 1,046 h sun/yr · best in Jul
- Campbeltown United Kingdom · 156 km · 1,303 h sun/yr · best in Jul
Head-to-head
How Edinburgh compares month by month: Edinburgh vs Glasgow · Edinburgh vs Newcastle upon Tyne · Edinburgh vs Aberdeen · Edinburgh vs Inverness · all comparisons
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