Orkney Weather Month by Month

Storm season, low light — and Neolithic sites you'll have entirely to yourself.

2–7°C · 21 rain days · 7 h light

Often drier than January, with the year's best Northern Lights nights.

2–7°C · 17 rain days · 9 h light

Equinox storms, returning birds, and 12 hours of daylight by month-end.

3–8°C · 17 rain days · 12 h light

Wildflowers, returning seabirds, and 14 hours of daylight.

4–10°C · 14 rain days · 14 h light

Driest month of the year, 17 hours of light, and far fewer crowds than June.

6–12°C · 12 rain days · 17 h light

Simmer Dim — the month it never really gets dark.

8–14°C · 13 rain days · 18 h light

Warmest month, peak season, and the busiest ferries of the year.

10–16°C · 14 rain days · 17 h light

Mild, marginally less wind, and the best month for whales.

10–16°C · 15 rain days · 15 h light

The locals' favourite — quiet, golden, and the migrant birds arrive.

8–14°C · 17 rain days · 12 h light

Wet, wild, and the heart of Northern Lights season.

4–8°C · 21 rain days · 8 h light

Shortest days, the Kirkwall Ba', and Yule traditions stretching back to the Vikings.

3–7°C · 21 rain days · 6 h light