Hardly any UK towns see fresher July days than Lerwick
On a normal January night the air cools to about 2.5°C (36°F). December is the wettest month, May the driest. By frosts alone, it ranks gentler than 92% of UK towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from October to May, when means dip under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Lerwick at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Lerwick feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,197 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and May the driest. About 31 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Lerwick
23 air frosts and 0 days of 25°C a year
On about 23 nights a year the air drops below freezing; days that stay below freezing are rare. About 0 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 Lerwick
Lerwick is 1.2 miles south-west of Lerwick, 82 m (269 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 | 6.1°C | 2.2°C | 151 mm | 5.5 | 27 |
| February | 5.8°C | 1.8°C | 124 mm | 6.4 | 56 |
| March | 6.7°C | 2.4°C | 109 mm | 5.6 | 94 |
| April | 8.4°C | 3.8°C | 67 mm | 2.5 | 136 |
| May | 10.6°C | 5.6°C | 57 mm | 0.4 | 183 |
| June | 12.6°C | 8.0°C | 59 mm | 0.0 | 139 |
| July | 14.4°C | 10.1°C | 68 mm | 0.0 | 120 |
| August | 14.7°C | 10.5°C | 90 mm | 0.0 | 125 |
| September | 13.0°C | 9.1°C | 106 mm | 0.0 | 95 |
| October | 10.4°C | 6.6°C | 131 mm | 0.3 | 72 |
| November | 8.1°C | 4.3°C | 144 mm | 2.2 | 37 |
| December | 6.6°C | 2.5°C | 150 mm | 6.0 | 20 |
| Year | 9.8°C | 5.6°C | 1,254 mm | 29 | 1,103 |
Met Office historic station data, Lerwick, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Kipp & Zonen recorder.
How Lerwick 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 Shetland Islands towns that size.
Lerwick 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 | 6.8°C 44°F | 2.5°C 36°F | 4.6°C | 145 mm 5.7 in |
| February | 6.6°C 44°F | 2.1°C 36°F | 4.3°C | 118 mm 4.7 in |
| March | 7.5°C 46°F | 2.6°C 37°F | 5.1°C | 105 mm 4.1 in |
| April | 9.3°C 49°F | 3.8°C 39°F | 6.5°C | 64 mm 2.5 in |
| May | 11.7°C 53°F | 5.6°C 42°F | 8.5°C | 53 mm 2.1 in |
| June | 13.6°C 57°F | 8.1°C 47°F | 10.8°C | 55 mm 2.2 in |
| July | 15.3°C 60°F | 10.0°C 50°F | 12.7°C | 63 mm 2.5 in |
| August | 15.7°C 60°F | 10.4°C 51°F | 13.0°C | 82 mm 3.2 in |
| September | 13.9°C 57°F | 9.1°C 48°F | 11.5°C | 101 mm 4.0 in |
| October | 11.3°C 52°F | 6.8°C 44°F | 9.0°C | 126 mm 4.9 in |
| November | 8.9°C 48°F | 4.5°C 40°F | 6.7°C | 139 mm 5.5 in |
| December | 7.2°C 45°F | 2.8°C 37°F | 5.0°C | 146 mm 5.7 in |
| Year | 10.7°C | 5.7°C | 8.1°C | 1,197 mm |
Where Lerwick’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 Lerwick’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 Lerwick, 1.2 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 Lerwick’s climate
How warm does Lerwick get in summer?
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 15.7°C (60°F). About 0 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than almost every UK town.
How cold does Lerwick get in winter?
February nights average 2.1°C (36°F). The air drops below freezing on about 23 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Lerwick get?
About 1,197 mm (47 in) a year, more than 89% of UK towns. December is the wettest month (146 mm) and May the driest (53 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Lerwick (1.2 miles away), averages 1,103 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 Lerwick. 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 Lerwick →
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.