Scotland Weather & Climate

Despite what many would have you believe about Scotland’s weather and climate, conditions are actually rather moderate and although they are changeable, they are rarely extreme. Although the country is relatively small, Scotland’s oceanic climate actually varies a lot between regions however temperatures are almost never extreme.

The Western Highlands are one of Europe’s windiest and wettest regions due to the mountainous terrain and prevailing Atlantic winds however in the eastern parts of the country, the annual rainfall is much lower and similar to that of New York or Rome. Some of the more popular destinations are located in this region including Inverness, Aberdeenshire and Angus.

The high latitude of Scotland makes for shorter days in winter and longer days in summer, with an extended twilight. The Shetland town of Lerwick experiences four more hours of daylight during summer than London and in far north Scotland, there is never any actual complete darkness.

During winter, January and February are normally Scotland’s coldest months with daytime temperatures averaging between 5° to 7 °C. In summer, July and August are usually Scotland’s warmest months with daytime temperatures averaging a pleasant 19 °C. As a general rule, the temperatures in Scotland are typically a few degrees colder than those experienced in England due to the Atlantic Ocean and the country’s hilly terrace.

In terms of snowfall in Scotland, the average number of days ranged from 15 to 20 days however in the more mountainous areas of Scotland including the peaks in the Highlands, the average number of days where snow falls is approximately 100 days.
While the weather in Scotland is almost never extreme, the way it varies from day to day means that it is always a topic of conversation between not only the locals but visitors as well.