Kirkwall, Orkney Islands weather by month & the best time to visit
🇬🇧 United Kingdom · seaside town · oceanic / maritime climate
Kirkwall, Orkney Islands is short on reliable sunshine. Its best month is August (Score 40/100) — for stronger sun, try one of the nearby alternatives below.
Jump to: month-by-month table · sea temperature · nearby alternatives · embed this data
- Sun hours / year
- 1,293
- Sunniest month
- August
- Peak score
- 40/100
- Rain / year
- 1,108 mm
- Midday UV at peak
- 4 (moderate)
- Sea at warmest
- 13°C / 55°F
- Population
- 7k
- Elevation
- 11 m
When is the best time to visit Kirkwall, Orkney Islands?
Kirkwall, Orkney Islands never gets truly sunny weather: August is as good as it gets at 40/100, and January is the low point (0/100). If sunshine is the point of the trip, the nearby alternatives below do better.
How sunny is Kirkwall, Orkney Islands?
Kirkwall, Orkney Islands isn't a sunny place by world standards: about 1,293 hours of sunshine a year. August (40/100) is noticeably better than January (0). It ranks #31 of 48 destinations in United Kingdom for annual sunshine, below the national median of 1,345 hours. The year's 1,108 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 | 7° / 45°F | 5° / 41°F | 115 mm | 0 | 8° / 46°F |
| February | 0 | 7° / 45°F | 5° / 41°F | 88 mm | 0 | 7° / 45°F |
| March | 0 | 7° / 45°F | 5° / 41°F | 83 mm | 1 | 7° / 45°F |
| April | 6 | 9° / 48°F | 6° / 43°F | 60 mm | 2 | 8° / 46°F |
| May | 12 | 10° / 50°F | 8° / 46°F | 66 mm | 3 | 10° / 50°F |
| June | 24 | 12° / 54°F | 10° / 50°F | 74 mm | 4 | 11° / 52°F |
| July | 35 | 14° / 57°F | 12° / 54°F | 82 mm | 4 | 13° / 55°F |
| August | 40 | 15° / 59°F | 12° / 54°F | 97 mm | 3 | 13° / 55°F |
| September | 34 | 14° / 57°F | 11° / 52°F | 98 mm | 2 | 13° / 55°F |
| October | 21 | 12° / 54°F | 9° / 48°F | 127 mm | 1 | 12° / 54°F |
| November | 5 | 9° / 48°F | 7° / 45°F | 109 mm | 0 | 11° / 52°F |
| December | 0 | 8° / 46°F | 6° / 43°F | 109 mm | 0 | 9° / 48°F |
Sea temperature in Kirkwall, Orkney Islands by month
The sea off Kirkwall, Orkney Islands is warmest in July at around 13°C / 55°F, and coolest in February at 7°C / 45°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 Kirkwall, Orkney Islands on the interactive sunshine globe →
Nearby places for sunshine
- Inverness United Kingdom · 171 km · best in Jul · 1,074 h sun/yr
- Aberdeen United Kingdom · 200 km · best in Jul · 1,300 h sun/yr
- Edinburgh United Kingdom · 336 km · best in Jul · 1,292 h sun/yr
- Glasgow United Kingdom · 355 km · best in Jul · 1,306 h sun/yr
- Glasgow United Kingdom · 397 km · best in Jul · 1,304 h sun/yr
- Vágar Faroe Islands · 420 km · best in Aug · 998 h sun/yr
Nearest destinations
- Stronsay United Kingdom · 27 km · 1,221 h sun/yr · best in Jul
- Eday United Kingdom · 27 km · 1,221 h sun/yr · best in Jul
- Sanday United Kingdom · 38 km · 1,222 h sun/yr · best in Aug
- Papa Westray, Orkney Islands United Kingdom · 44 km · 1,223 h sun/yr · best in Aug
- Westray, Orkney Islands United Kingdom · 44 km · 1,223 h sun/yr · best in Aug
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