Lerwick climate — normals and trends
Lerwick (United Kingdom) has a subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 8.3 °C and it receives 1,009 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 (12.2 °C on average) and the coldest is February (5.2 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Lerwick averages 2 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 194 rainy days per year.
Lerwick has warmed by +0.7 °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 3 to 1 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 17.3 °C (on 28 July 2018) and the coldest -2.9 °C (on 14 March 1992).
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
LerwickScotland
- coords
- 60.15°, -1.14°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
8.3°C
Average daily high
9.1°C
Average daily low
7.6°C
Annual rainfall
1,009mm
Sunshine / day
7.2h
Mean relative humidity
81%
Average peak wind
40.8km/h
Seasonal range
7.0°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
2 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
194 d/yr
Annual snowfall
25.3 cm
Average feels-like high
4.4 °C
Average feels-like low
1.1 °C
Average peak gust
55.4 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
9.1 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+0.7 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.21 · 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
28 July 2018
Coldest day
-2.9 °C
14 March 1992
Wettest day
40 mm
9 August 2014
Windiest day
103.8 km/h
15 January 1952
Strongest gust
173.5 km/h
29 January 2016
Hottest feels-like
16.8 °C
4 July 2009
Coldest feels-like
-14.4 °C
7 February 1969
Snowiest day
11.2 cm
3 January 1968
Sunniest day
18.0 h
27 June 2022
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 | 6.9 °C | +0.2 °C | 111 mm | -5 mm |
| Feb | 7.6 °C | +1.4 °C | 54 mm | -35 mm |
| Mar | 8.0 °C | +1.7 °C | 113 mm | +26 mm |
| Apr | 8.6 °C | +1.6 °C | 31 mm | -27 mm |
| May | 9.8 °C | +1.4 °C | 45 mm | -1 mm |
| Jun | 11.6 °C | +1.2 °C | 101 mm | +52 mm |
| Jul | 14.0 °C | +1.9 °C | 34 mm | -21 mm |
| Aug | 13.8 °C | +1.0 °C | 75 mm | +8 mm |
| Sep | 13.7 °C | +1.7 °C | 57 mm | -32 mm |
| Oct | 11.8 °C | +1.3 °C | 125 mm | +15 mm |
| Nov | 9.4 °C | +0.7 °C | 136 mm | +15 mm |
| Dec | 9.7 °C | +2.2 °C | 112 mm | -11 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 Lerwick?
Lerwick has a subpolar oceanic climate (Köppen Cfc). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 8.3 °C and it receives 1,009 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Lerwick?
The hottest day measured in Lerwick between 1940 and 2025 was 28 July 2018, reaching 17.3 °C.
What is the coldest day in Lerwick?
The coldest day measured in Lerwick between 1940 and 2025 was 14 March 1992, at -2.9 °C.
Does it snow in Lerwick?
Yes. Lerwick gets on average 25.3 cm of snow per year and has around 2 frost days.
Has the climate of Lerwick warmed?
Yes: Lerwick warmed by +0.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Lerwick?
The wettest day measured in Lerwick between 1940 and 2025 was 9 August 2014, with 40 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Lerwick?
The windiest day measured in Lerwick between 1940 and 2025 was 15 January 1952, with winds reaching 103.8 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Lerwick?
The warmest month in Lerwick is August (12.2 °C on average); the coldest is February (5.2 °C).
How much does it rain in Lerwick?
Lerwick receives on average 1,009 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 194 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Lerwick?
Lerwick gets on average 7.2 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 2,628 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Lerwick?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Lerwick between 1940 and 2025 was 3 January 1968, with 11.2 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Lerwick?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Lerwick.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Lerwick?
In Lerwick, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 16.8 °C on 4 July 2009, and the lowest was -14.4 °C on 7 February 1969.
Compare Lerwick with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Lerwick