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SCOTLAND
Climate and Weather

Cities in SCOTLAND

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Climate and Weather

Rain over Beinn Eich, Luss Hills, ScotlandRain over Beinn Eich, Luss Hills, ScotlandPhoto: Michal Klajban CC 4.0 International no changes made

Due to the direction in which the Scottish mountains lie, the climate, in addition to the strong southwestern winds, is strongly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean. In winter, this ensures relatively mild temperatures in the lower parts. It gets colder in winter on the high plains, in the mountains and on the northern coasts. In January, the average temperature is between 3-5 °C and freezing at night, and the higher mountains remain covered with snow for months. Summers are generally quite cool: the average temperature in the month of July is 13-15 °C, but in the afternoon it often rises above 20 °C. It rarely gets warmer than 24 °C.

Most of the rain falls in the western mountainous regions, where the southwesterly winds carry very moist air from the Atlantic Ocean. The average falls around 2500 mm per year.Particularly the Outer Hebrides or "Western Isles" are often plagued by depressions with gale force winds and numerous rain showers. On the east coast it rains considerably less, especially in the months of May and June. It is remarkable that the capital Edinburgh has less rain every year than De Bilt (676 mm against 763 mm). The wettest months are July through November, and January is also usually wet.

The gardens at Brodick Castle, Isle of Arran, ScotlandThe gardens at Brodick Castle, Isle of Arran, ScotlandPhoto: Magnus Hagdorn CC 2.0 Generic no changes made

Located west of the Isle of Mull in the open Atlantic Ocean, Coll and Tiree are known as Britain's sunniest islands. All kinds of differences can also occur on one island. For example, in the western part of Rhum, one of the islands of the Inner Hebrides, there is an average of 110 mm of rainfall every month, while in Kinloch, just 8 kilometers to the east, it falls as much as 230 mm per year. Due to the gulf current, the climate of the island of Arran is quite mild and even palm trees grow here and there.


Sources

Berkien, G. / Schotland
Kosmos-Z&K

Berkien, G. / Schotland
ANWB

Larrimore, D. / Schotland
Kosmos-Z&K

Levy, P. / Scotland
Marshall Cavendish

Patitz, A. / Schotland
Van Reemst

Schaff, B. / Schotland
Kok Lyra

Schotland
Cambium

Schotland
Lannoo

Schotland
Michelin Reisuitgaven

Schotland
Van Reemst

Smallman, T. / Scotland
Lonely Planet

Stoks, F.T. / Schotland
Gottmer

Summers, G. / Schotland
Van Reemst

Tschirner, S. / Schotland
ANWB

Wamel, D. van / Schotland en Noord-Engeland
Babylon-De Geus

CIA - World Factbook

BBC - Country Profiles

Last updated September 2024
Copyright: Team The World of Info