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Climate and Average Weather Year Round at Stornoway Airport United Kingdom

At Stornoway Airport, the summers are short, cool, and windy; the winters are long, very cold, wet, and extremely windy; and it is mostly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 37°F to 61°F and is rarely below 29°F or above 67°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Stornoway Airport for warm-weather activities is from early July to late August.

Climate at Stornoway Airport

very coldcoldcoolcoldJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNowNow46%46%29%29%overcastclearprecipitation: 4.4 inprecipitation: 4.4 in1.9 in1.9 inmuggy: 0%muggy: 0%0%0%drydrytourism score: 4.5tourism score: 4.50.00.0
Stornoway Airport weather by month. Click on each chart for more information.

The warm season lasts for 2.8 months, from June 20 to September 13, with an average daily high temperature above 58°F. The hottest month of the year at Stornoway Airport is August, with an average high of 60°F and low of 51°F.

The cool season lasts for 4.3 months, from November 21 to March 29, with an average daily high temperature below 48°F. The coldest month of the year at Stornoway Airport is February, with an average low of 37°F and high of 45°F.

Average High and Low Temperature at Stornoway Airport

Average High and Low Temperature at Stornoway AirportwarmcoolcoolJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F10°F10°F20°F20°F30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°F90°F90°F100°F100°FFeb 1745°FFeb 1745°FAug 161°FAug 161°F37°F37°F52°F52°FJun 2058°FJun 2058°FSep 1358°FSep 1358°FNov 2148°FNov 2148°FMar 2948°FMar 2948°F49°F49°F49°F49°F40°F40°F38°F38°FNowNow
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.
AverageJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
High 44°F45°F47°F50°F54°F57°F60°F60°F57°F53°F48°F45°F
Temp. 41°F41°F42°F45°F49°F53°F56°F56°F53°F49°F45°F42°F
Low 37°F37°F38°F40°F44°F48°F51°F51°F48°F44°F40°F38°F

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature at Stornoway Airport

Average Hourly Temperature at Stornoway AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMNowNowvery coldvery coldcoldcool
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Metlakatla, Alaska, United States (4,041 miles away); Metchosin, Canada (4,261 miles); and Waiouru, New Zealand (11,151 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Stornoway Airport (view comparison).

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At Stornoway Airport, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year at Stornoway Airport begins around April 12 and lasts for 6.5 months, ending around October 28.

The clearest month of the year at Stornoway Airport is May, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 45% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 28 and lasts for 5.5 months, ending around April 12.

The cloudiest month of the year at Stornoway Airport is February, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 70% of the time.

Cloud Cover Categories at Stornoway Airport

Cloud Cover Categories at Stornoway AirportclearercloudiercloudierJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%May 2346%May 2346%Jan 2829%Jan 2829%Apr 1237%Apr 1237%Oct 2837%Oct 2837%NowNowclearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercast
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.
FractionJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Cloudier 70%70%69%62%55%58%58%59%59%62%65%68%
Clearer 30%30%31%38%45%42%42%41%41%38%35%32%

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days at Stornoway Airport varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 6.5 months, from September 11 to March 26, with a greater than 43% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days at Stornoway Airport is January, with an average of 17.3 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 5.5 months, from March 26 to September 11. The month with the fewest wet days at Stornoway Airport is May, with an average of 9.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone at Stornoway Airport is January, with an average of 16.9 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 56% on January 4.

Daily Chance of Precipitation at Stornoway Airport

Daily Chance of Precipitation at Stornoway AirportwetwetdryJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Jan 458%Jan 458%May 2528%May 2528%Sep 1143%Sep 1143%Mar 2643%Mar 2643%NowNowrain
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).
Days ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rain 16.9d13.5d14.0d10.5d9.2d9.2d10.8d11.9d13.3d15.2d15.6d16.1d
Mixed 0.4d0.2d0.4d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.1d0.4d
Any 17.3d13.7d14.3d10.5d9.2d9.2d10.8d11.9d13.3d15.2d15.8d16.6d

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Stornoway Airport experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year at Stornoway Airport. The month with the most rain at Stornoway Airport is January, with an average rainfall of 4.3 inches.

The month with the least rain at Stornoway Airport is May, with an average rainfall of 1.9 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall at Stornoway Airport

Average Monthly Rainfall at Stornoway AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in2 in2 in4 in4 in6 in6 in8 in8 inJan 94.3 inJan 94.3 inMay 181.9 inMay 181.9 inNov 94.3 inNov 94.3 inNowNow
The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rainfall 4.3″3.4″3.1″2.2″1.9″2.1″2.4″2.8″3.5″4.0″4.2″4.1″

The length of the day at Stornoway Airport varies extremely over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 6 hours, 24 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 18 hours, 15 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight at Stornoway Airport

Hours of Daylight and Twilight at Stornoway AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24 hr0 hr12 hr, 9 minMar 2012 hr, 9 minMar 2018 hr, 15 minJun 2018 hr, 15 minJun 2012 hr, 13 minSep 2212 hr, 13 minSep 226 hr, 24 minDec 216 hr, 24 minDec 21nightnightdayNowNow
The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.
Hours ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight 7.3h9.4h11.9h14.5h16.8h18.1h17.4h15.3h12.8h10.2h7.9h6.5h

The earliest sunrise is at 4:19 AM on June 18, and the latest sunrise is 4 hours, 54 minutes later at 9:13 AM on December 27. The earliest sunset is at 3:33 PM on December 15, and the latest sunset is 7 hours, 1 minute later at 10:34 PM on June 23.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed at Stornoway Airport during 2024, starting in the spring on March 31, lasting 6.9 months, and ending in the fall on October 27.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time at Stornoway Airport

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time at Stornoway AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMJun 184:19 AMJun 184:19 AM10:34 PMJun 2310:34 PMJun 23Dec 153:33 PMDec 153:33 PM9:13 AMDec 279:13 AMDec 27Mar 31DSTMar 31DSTDSTOct 27DSTOct 27daynightnightnightnightSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunsetNowNow
The solar day over the course of the year 2024. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray. The transitions to and from daylight saving time are indicated by the 'DST' labels.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth at Stornoway Airport

Solar Elevation and Azimuth at Stornoway AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AM0000101010202030304040500001010101020203030404050855NowNow
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of the year 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases at Stornoway Airport

The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

The perceived humidity level at Stornoway Airport, as measured by the percentage of time in which the humidity comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable, does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining a virtually constant 0% throughout.

Humidity Comfort Levels at Stornoway Airport

Humidity Comfort Levels at Stornoway AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Jan 110%Jan 110%Aug 10%Aug 10%NowNowdrydrycomfortablecomfortable
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Muggy days 0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed at Stornoway Airport experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 6.3 months, from September 23 to April 1, with average wind speeds of more than 18.2 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year at Stornoway Airport is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 23.0 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 5.7 months, from April 1 to September 23. The calmest month of the year at Stornoway Airport is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 13.4 miles per hour.

Average Wind Speed at Stornoway Airport

Average Wind Speed at Stornoway AirportwindywindyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 mph0 mph5 mph5 mph10 mph10 mph15 mph15 mph20 mph20 mph25 mph25 mph30 mph30 mph35 mph35 mphJan 2423.2 mphJan 2423.2 mphJul 2313.3 mphJul 2313.3 mphSep 2318.2 mphSep 2318.2 mphApr 118.2 mphApr 118.2 mphNowNow
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Wind Speed (mph) 23.021.620.116.714.613.713.414.517.419.520.821.9

The predominant average hourly wind direction at Stornoway Airport varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the east for 1.4 weeks, from May 15 to May 25, with a peak percentage of 28% on May 22. The wind is most often from the south for 4.0 weeks, from May 25 to June 22; for 1.0 months, from July 31 to August 31; for 1.7 months, from September 9 to November 1; and for 5.6 months, from November 28 to May 15, with a peak percentage of 39% on October 2. The wind is most often from the west for 1.3 months, from June 22 to July 31; for 1.3 weeks, from August 31 to September 9; and for 3.9 weeks, from November 1 to November 28, with a peak percentage of 36% on November 11.

Wind Direction at Stornoway Airport

Wind Direction at Stornoway AirportSESWSSWSJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%NowNowwestsoutheastnorth
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

Stornoway Airport is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 3.0 months, from July 6 to October 8, with an average temperature above 54°F. The month of the year at Stornoway Airport with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 56°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.8 months, from January 12 to May 4, with an average temperature below 48°F. The month of the year at Stornoway Airport with the coolest water is March, with an average temperature of 46°F.

Average Water Temperature at Stornoway Airport

Average Water Temperature at Stornoway AirportwarmcoolJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec44°F44°F46°F46°F48°F48°F50°F50°F52°F52°F54°F54°F56°F56°F58°F58°F60°F60°FAug 1156°FAug 1156°F46°FMar 1346°FMar 13Jul 654°FJul 654°FOct 854°FOct 854°FJan 1248°FJan 1248°FMay 448°FMay 448°F
The daily average water temperature (purple line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
WaterJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Temperature 48°F46°F46°F47°F49°F52°F55°F56°F55°F54°F52°F49°F

To characterize how pleasant the weather is at Stornoway Airport throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Stornoway Airport for general outdoor tourist activities is from early July to late August, with a peak score in the last week of July.

Tourism Score at Stornoway Airport

Tourism Score at Stornoway Airportbest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810104.54.50.00.0NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationtourism score
The tourism score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Stornoway Airport for hot-weather activities is from mid July to early August, with a peak score in the first week of August.

Beach/Pool Score at Stornoway Airport

Beach/Pool Score at Stornoway AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810100.20.20.00.0NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitation
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season at Stornoway Airport typically lasts for 7.6 months (232 days), from around April 6 to around November 25, rarely starting before March 4 or after May 9, and rarely ending before October 29 or after December 22.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season at Stornoway Airport

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season at Stornoway Airportgrowing seasonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%50%Apr 650%Apr 650%Nov 2550%Nov 2590%May 990%May 990%Oct 2990%Oct 2910%Mar 410%Mar 410%Dec 2210%Dec 220%Jan 270%Jan 27Aug 2100%Aug 2100%very coldcoldcool
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms at Stornoway Airport should appear around June 11, only rarely appearing before May 25 or after July 1.

Growing Degree Days at Stornoway Airport

Growing Degree Days at Stornoway AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F100°F100°F200°F200°F300°F300°F400°F400°F500°F500°F600°F600°F700°F700°F800°F800°F900°F900°FJun 1190°FJun 1190°FDec 31716°FDec 31716°FNowNow
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of the year, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.2 months, from May 1 to August 8, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 4.5 kWh. The brightest month of the year at Stornoway Airport is June, with an average of 5.5 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 4.4 months, from October 17 to February 28, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 1.3 kWh. The darkest month of the year at Stornoway Airport is December, with an average of 0.2 kWh.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy at Stornoway Airport

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy at Stornoway AirportbrightdarkdarkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWh8 kWh8 kWhJun 175.5 kWhJun 175.5 kWhDec 210.2 kWhDec 210.2 kWhMay 14.5 kWhMay 14.5 kWhAug 84.5 kWhAug 84.5 kWhOct 171.3 kWhOct 171.3 kWhFeb 281.3 kWhFeb 281.3 kWhNowNow
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Solar Energy (kWh) 0.40.92.03.65.05.55.14.12.71.30.50.2

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Stornoway Airport are 58.216 deg latitude, -6.331 deg longitude, and 10 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Stornoway Airport contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 115 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 16 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (945 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (3,369 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Stornoway Airport is covered by water (48%), grassland (16%), and artificial surfaces (12%), within 10 miles by water (46%) and herbaceous vegetation (40%), and within 50 miles by water (79%).

This report illustrates the typical weather at Stornoway Airport, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

Stornoway Airport has a weather station that reported reliably enough during the analysis period that we have included it in our network. When available, historical temperature and dew point measurements are taken directly from this weather station. These records are obtained from NOAA's Integrated Surface Hourly data set, falling back on ICAO METAR records as required.

In the case of missing or erroneous measurements from this station, we fall back on records from nearby stations, adjusted according to typical seasonal and diurnal intra-station differences. For a given day of the year and hour of the day, the fallback station is selected to minimize the prediction error over the years for which there are measurements for both stations.

The stations on which we may fall back are Benbecula Airport, Barra Airport, Inverness Dalcross Airport, and Wick Airport.

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page.