Stornoway sits near the bottom of UK towns for July heat
In January the night’s low is typically 2.4°C (36°F). Expect the heaviest rain in January and the lightest in June. By rainfall alone, it ranks wetter than 93% of UK towns. Central heating does most of its work from October to May, in months below 10°C on average.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Stornoway at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Stornoway feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,324 mm of rain a year
January is the wettest month and June the driest. About 37 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Stornoway
30 air frosts and under 1 days of 25°C a year
On about 30 nights a year the air drops below freezing; days that stay below freezing are rare. About under 1 days a year reach 25°C (77°F).
Day counts are 1991–2020 averages from the Met Office’s 2 km grid. The Met Office calls a day of 25°C or more a summer day and a night below 0°C an air frost; ground frosts, on grass, come more often.
The Met Office station at Stornoway
Stornoway is 2.2 miles east of Stornoway, 15 m (49 ft) above sea level. It is the nearest of the 37 long-running stations the Met Office publishes in full.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Air frosts | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7.5°C | 2.7°C | 145 mm | 4.7 | 32 |
| February | 7.5°C | 2.4°C | 112 mm | 4.8 | 57 |
| March | 8.5°C | 3.2°C | 105 mm | 3.9 | 101 |
| April | 10.5°C | 4.6°C | 74 mm | 1.4 | 147 |
| May | 12.6°C | 6.3°C | 69 mm | 0.4 | 193 |
| June | 14.5°C | 9.1°C | 65 mm | 0.0 | 150 |
| July | 16.3°C | 10.8°C | 75 mm | 0.0 | 127 |
| August | 16.4°C | 11.0°C | 88 mm | 0.0 | 124 |
| September | 14.7°C | 9.5°C | 104 mm | 0.0 | 102 |
| October | 12.0°C | 6.9°C | 133 mm | 0.2 | 74 |
| November | 9.5°C | 4.5°C | 128 mm | 1.4 | 43 |
| December | 7.8°C | 2.8°C | 139 mm | 5.5 | 26 |
| Year | 11.5°C | 6.2°C | 1,236 mm | 22 | 1,174 |
Met Office historic station data, Stornoway, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Kipp & Zonen recorder.
How Stornoway compares
Against the 2,537 towns and cities of 2,500 or more across the UK, each with its own Met Office averages, and its place among Na h-Eileanan Siar towns that size.
Stornoway weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, for the town itself (the Met Office’s HadUK-Grid).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7.4°C 45°F | 2.4°C 36°F | 4.8°C | 157 mm 6.2 in |
| February | 7.6°C 46°F | 2.2°C 36°F | 4.8°C | 123 mm 4.8 in |
| March | 8.7°C 48°F | 2.9°C 37°F | 5.8°C | 114 mm 4.5 in |
| April | 10.9°C 52°F | 4.3°C 40°F | 7.5°C | 77 mm 3.0 in |
| May | 13.2°C 56°F | 6.0°C 43°F | 9.5°C | 72 mm 2.8 in |
| June | 15.1°C 59°F | 8.7°C 48°F | 11.9°C | 68 mm 2.7 in |
| July | 16.9°C 62°F | 10.4°C 51°F | 13.7°C | 80 mm 3.1 in |
| August | 16.8°C 62°F | 10.5°C 51°F | 13.7°C | 92 mm 3.6 in |
| September | 14.9°C 59°F | 9.0°C 48°F | 12.0°C | 109 mm 4.3 in |
| October | 12.1°C 54°F | 6.5°C 44°F | 9.3°C | 142 mm 5.6 in |
| November | 9.5°C 49°F | 4.1°C 39°F | 6.7°C | 139 mm 5.5 in |
| December | 7.8°C 46°F | 2.4°C 36°F | 5.0°C | 152 mm 6.0 in |
| Year | 11.7°C | 5.8°C | 8.7°C | 1,324 mm |
Where Stornoway’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 1 Met Office 2 km grid square whose centre lies inside Stornoway’s locality.
- Highs and lows: the Met Office publishes average daily maxima and minima on its 12 km grid; each is moved by the difference between the town’s 2 km mean temperature and the 12 km square’s, which carries the town’s own height and setting over.
- Weather station and sunshine: Met Office historic station data for Stornoway, 2.2 miles away, months of 1991–2020 averaged.
- Comparisons: every town and city of 2,500 or more across the UK, all four nations, read the same way.
Met Office HadUK-Grid · Met Office Climate Data Portal · Historic station data. Open Government Licence v3.0.
Questions about Stornoway’s climate
How warm does Stornoway get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 16.9°C (62°F). About under 1 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than almost every UK town.
How cold does Stornoway get in winter?
February nights average 2.2°C (36°F). The air drops below freezing on about 30 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Stornoway get?
About 1,324 mm (52 in) a year, more than 93% of UK towns. January is the wettest month (157 mm) and June the driest (68 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Stornoway (2.2 miles away), averages 1,174 hours of bright sunshine a year. Sunshine isn’t on the town grid, so this is the station’s figure.
Where do these figures come from?
The Met Office’s HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages, which turn thousands of weather stations into a map of the UK in 2 km squares; the page reads the squares inside Stornoway. They are 30-year averages, not a forecast.
Contains Met Office data © Crown copyright 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0. HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages via the Met Office Climate Data Portal; station averages from Met Office historic station data. Today’s forecast for Stornoway →
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.