Scotland’s climate is cool and wet with extreme variations in daylight hours—from as little as five hours in mid-winter to 20 hours in mid-summer.
What climate type is Scotland?
temperate maritime climate
Scotland has a temperate maritime climate (temperate because it has moderate temperatures and maritime because of the influence of the sea). We generally have cool summers, mild winters and rainfall spread throughout the year.
Is Scotland a wet climate?
The climate in Scotland is primarily oceanic, meaning it is often cool, rainy, and windy, with temperatures a few degrees lower than the rest of the UK. Rain is common throughout Scotland, with the west side (including the Highlands) wetter and warmer than the east, due to the warm air from the Gulf Stream.
Is Scotland dry?
Average rainfall in Scotland
Some areas receive about 3,000 mm per year (the western Highlands) and other areas only 800 mm per year (the east coast). Measurable rainfall occurs on over 250 days in the Highlands to 175 days per year in other parts.
Is Scotland as rainy as England?
UK: regional annual rainfall 2011-2021
In the same year rainfall in England amounted to 712.8 millimeters. In 2021, rainfall in Scotland and Wales were the highest among U.K. countries, amounting to 1,341.3 and 1,460.7 millimeters, respectively.
Is Scotland a humid country?
Scotland has some extremely humid months, and above average humidity throughout the year. The least humid month is May (69.8% relative humidity), and the most humid month is December (81%). Wind in Scotland is usually moderate. The windiest month is January, followed by March and December.
Why is Scotland so wet?
Due to the mountainous topography of the western Highlands, this type of precipitation is orographic in nature, with the warm, wet air forced to rise on contact with the mountainous coast, where it consequently cools and condenses, forming clouds.
What is the driest city in Scotland?
On average, the Firth of Forth receives around 550mm of rain a year, which is less than Barcelona. However, the driest place in Scotland is a little further north – in 2018, Dundee was named Scotland’s driest city, deservedly earning its nickname “Sunny Dunny”.
Does it ever not rain in Scotland?
Wet seasons
Whilst it rains all year round in Scotland, the wettest periods are autumn and winter.
Is Scotland in a drought?
In 2022, the east of Scotland experienced its driest January since 1940. This was followed by lower-than-average spring and summer rainfall. Sepa has warned that parts of Fife have now reached the highest level for water scarcity. Other parts of the country have been told to brace for similar conditions.
Does it rain more in Ireland or Scotland?
There is a stereotype in Ireland that it’s always raining, but Scotland actually rains more because it’s more mountainous, The West Highlands are the wettest place in the British Isles, and Europe.
Is Glasgow dry or humid?
Glasgow also lies in the path of a prevailing south-westerly wind and is sheltered by the surrounding Clyde Valley hills. All of this acts to keep the city fairly humid throughout the year.
Does Scotland have dry air?
Despite its small area, there are considerable variations. Precipitation is greatest in the mountainous areas of the west, as prevailing winds, laden with moisture from the Atlantic, blow from the southwest. East winds are common in winter and spring, when cold, dry continental air masses envelop the east coast.
Is it sunnier in England or Scotland?
England is also sunnier throughout the year, but unlike Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, the sunniest month is July, with an average of 193.5 hours.
Which is the driest city in the UK?
Topping the list is the seaside town of Shoeburyness, on the Greater Thames Estuary. This town records an annual average of 527mm of rain — the lowest value amongst the Met Office’s climate stations — making it the driest place in the UK.
What is the rainiest city in Scotland?
Glasgow often comes at the top of Scotland’s “most rainy” lists, but the smaller town of Greenock nearby slightly trumps it with an average of 174.6 days of rain per year.
Is Scotland muggy?
In Scotland, the summers are warm and humid, the winters are very cold and snowy, and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 24°F to 85°F and is rarely below 11°F or above 93°F.
Where in Scotland has the best weather?
Dundee is Scotland’s sunniest city, with an average of 1,523 hours of sunshine per year.
Is Scotland colder than Russia?
Even though we share the same latitude as very cold places such as Moscow in Russia, Canada and parts of Alaska. Scotland is very temperate and nowhere near as cold. Even countries further south in Europe, such as Germany have much colder winters than Scotland.
Is it ever sunny in Scotland?
The sun is rarely seen in Scotland. However, the sun is relatively more frequent in May and June, when the days are also very long. From November to January, also due to the very short days, the sun is almost never seen.
Does Scotland have more water than England?
Peter Murphy, director of consultancy firm UK Water (not to be confused with Water UK), said Scotland is the answer to England’s problems. He told iNews: “Loch Ness has more water than all of England and Wales combined. And that’s just one loch – Scotland has more than 31,000 freshwater lochs, and most are unused.