Kirkwall climate — normals and trends
Kirkwall (United Kingdom) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 8.5 °C and it receives 1,012 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is August (12.5 °C on average) and the coldest is February (5.3 °C). Rainfall peaks in November.
Kirkwall averages 1 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 195 rainy days per year.
Kirkwall has warmed by +0.8 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.09 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 2 to 0 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 17.3 °C (on 17 September 2003) and the coldest -2.6 °C (on 7 February 1969).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
KirkwallScotland
- coords
- 58.98°, -2.96°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
8.5°C
Average daily high
9.4°C
Average daily low
7.8°C
Annual rainfall
1,012mm
Sunshine / day
7.6h
Mean relative humidity
81%
Average peak wind
40.3km/h
Seasonal range
7.2°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
1 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
195 d/yr
Annual snowfall
19.4 cm
Average feels-like high
4.9 °C
Average feels-like low
1.5 °C
Average peak gust
54.4 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
9.3 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+0.8 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.24 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
17.3 °C
17 September 2003
Coldest day
-2.6 °C
7 February 1969
Wettest day
61 mm
26 October 2006
Windiest day
104.6 km/h
31 January 1953
Strongest gust
164.2 km/h
13 February 1989
Hottest feels-like
17.2 °C
24 August 1955
Coldest feels-like
-15.1 °C
31 January 1953
Snowiest day
12.9 cm
22 January 1985
Sunniest day
17.8 h
17 June 2023
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7.0 °C | +0.2 °C | 101 mm | -9 mm |
| Feb | 7.5 °C | +1.2 °C | 48 mm | -35 mm |
| Mar | 8.2 °C | +1.7 °C | 84 mm | +3 mm |
| Apr | 9.0 °C | +1.7 °C | 29 mm | -27 mm |
| May | 10.1 °C | +1.4 °C | 40 mm | -8 mm |
| Jun | 12.3 °C | +1.6 °C | 101 mm | +48 mm |
| Jul | 14.2 °C | +1.8 °C | 48 mm | -11 mm |
| Aug | 14.4 °C | +1.3 °C | 75 mm | +4 mm |
| Sep | 14.1 °C | +1.5 °C | 62 mm | -32 mm |
| Oct | 12.3 °C | +1.2 °C | 140 mm | +24 mm |
| Nov | 9.6 °C | +0.5 °C | 134 mm | +10 mm |
| Dec | 9.6 °C | +1.8 °C | 86 mm | -34 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Kirkwall?
Kirkwall has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 8.5 °C and it receives 1,012 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Kirkwall?
The hottest day measured in Kirkwall between 1940 and 2025 was 17 September 2003, reaching 17.3 °C.
What is the coldest day in Kirkwall?
The coldest day measured in Kirkwall between 1940 and 2025 was 7 February 1969, at -2.6 °C.
Does it snow in Kirkwall?
Yes. Kirkwall gets on average 19.4 cm of snow per year and has around 1 frost days.
Has the climate of Kirkwall warmed?
Yes: Kirkwall warmed by +0.8 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Kirkwall?
The wettest day measured in Kirkwall between 1940 and 2025 was 26 October 2006, with 61 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Kirkwall?
The windiest day measured in Kirkwall between 1940 and 2025 was 31 January 1953, with winds reaching 104.6 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Kirkwall?
The warmest month in Kirkwall is August (12.5 °C on average); the coldest is February (5.3 °C).
How much does it rain in Kirkwall?
Kirkwall receives on average 1,012 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 195 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Kirkwall?
Kirkwall gets on average 7.6 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 2,774 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Kirkwall?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Kirkwall between 1940 and 2025 was 22 January 1985, with 12.9 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Kirkwall?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Kirkwall.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Kirkwall?
In Kirkwall, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 17.2 °C on 24 August 1955, and the lowest was -15.1 °C on 31 January 1953.
Compare Kirkwall with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Kirkwall