Kirkwall Airport (Orkney Islands) weather

Headline:

Rather cloudy for today with occasional patchy rain. Southerly winds.

Today:

Occasional outbreaks of patchy rain most persistent across Shetland. A rather cloudy day, with best chance of fleeting brightness across Orkney during the morning. Winds southerly light to moderate. Maximum temperature 14 °C.

Tonight:

Remaining cloudy with occasional rain at first, which clears Orkney by late evening and eventually Shetland by dawn. Southerly breezes. Minimum temperature 9 °C.

Sunday:

Mainly dry with only a few later showers developing. Some brighter spells breaking through the veil of higher cloud. Winds southerly occasionally strong across Orkney. Maximum temperature 13 °C.

Outlook for Monday to Wednesday:

Unsettled with showers and longer periods of rain which turn heavy at times. Fresh to strong easterly winds Monday, easing Tuesday, then backing to a strong northerly for Wednesday.

The forecast period looks most likely to be mostly unsettled, with frequent bouts of wind and rain associated with areas of low pressure. Frequent showers, especially over southern areas, at first, will probably give way to more widespread rain and strong winds associated with the remnants of Hurricane Kirk mid to late in the week. Scotland and Northern Ireland are more likely to quickly turn colder with showers, and the colder weather (perhaps some snow on Scottish mountains) will most likely gradually work its way south. A more settled interlude is then possible but further spells of wind and rain, again with a focus across southern areas, are likely to arrive from the west during the following week with temperatures returning to around average.

A continuation of low pressure systems tracking in from the Atlantic is the most likely scenario for the rest of October. This means wet and windy weather at times, especially across England and Wales, but with a suggestion that Scotland and Northern Ireland may be more likely to see longer breaks in the weather, and more in the way of drier spells. It is possible that these drier conditions could be seen more widely later in the month as higher pressure further north extends southwards for a time. This would also bring an increased chance of overnight fog and frost. Temperatures will tend to be close to average overall in the south, but probably below average in the north and northwest.