Kirkwall (Orkney Islands) weather
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Forecast days
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Today. Maximum daytime temperature: 14 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 7 degrees Celsius. Sunny intervals. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: High; Pollution: Low; Pollen: Low.Today. Maximum daytime temperature: 14 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 7 degrees Celsius. Sunny intervals. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: High; Pollution: Low; Pollen: Low.
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Tuesday 21 May. Maximum daytime temperature: 15 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 11 degrees Celsius. Sunny intervals changing to cloudy by late morning. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: High; Pollution: Low; Pollen: Low.Tuesday 21 May. Maximum daytime temperature: 15 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 11 degrees Celsius. Sunny intervals changing to cloudy by late morning. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: High; Pollution: Low; Pollen: Low.
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Wednesday 22 May. Maximum daytime temperature: 15 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 11 degrees Celsius. Overcast changing to light rain by nighttime. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: Moderate; Pollution: Low; Pollen: Low.Wednesday 22 May. Maximum daytime temperature: 15 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 11 degrees Celsius. Overcast changing to light rain by nighttime. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: Moderate; Pollution: Low; Pollen: Low.
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Thursday 23 May. Maximum daytime temperature: 12 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 10 degrees Celsius. Light rain. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: Moderate; Pollution: Low; Pollen: Low.Thursday 23 May. Maximum daytime temperature: 12 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 10 degrees Celsius. Light rain. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: Moderate; Pollution: Low; Pollen: Low.
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Friday 24 May. Maximum daytime temperature: 14 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 10 degrees Celsius. Cloudy changing to sunny by lunchtime. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: Moderate; No pollen data.Friday 24 May. Maximum daytime temperature: 14 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 10 degrees Celsius. Cloudy changing to sunny by lunchtime. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: Moderate; No pollen data.
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Saturday 25 May. Maximum daytime temperature: 15 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 11 degrees Celsius. Sunny intervals. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: Moderate;Saturday 25 May. Maximum daytime temperature: 15 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 11 degrees Celsius. Sunny intervals. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: Moderate;
Six day forecast for Kirkwall
| Time | 01:00 | 02:00 | 03:00 | 04:00 | 05:00 | 06:00 | 07:00 | 08:00 | 09:00 | 10:00 | 11:00 | 12:00 | 13:00 | 14:00 | 15:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 19:00 | 20:00 | 21:00 | 22:00 | 23:00 |
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| Weather symbols |
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Chance of precipitation
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<5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | 10% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% |
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10°
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10°
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10°
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10°
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10°
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10°
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11°
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11°
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12°
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13°
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13°
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13°
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14°
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14°
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14°
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13°
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13°
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12°
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12°
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11°
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10°
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10°
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9°
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9° | 9° | 8° | 8° | 8° | 8° | 9° | 9° | 10° | 11° | 11° | 11° | 11° | 11° | 11° | 11° | 10° | 10° | 9° | 9° | 8° | 7° | 7° |
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SSE
5
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SSE
6
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SE
6
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SE
7
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SE
8
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SE
9
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SSE
10
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SSE
10
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SE
11
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SE
11
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SE
13
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SE
14
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SE
14
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SE
14
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SE
14
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ESE
14
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ESE
14
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ESE
13
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ESE
13
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SE
12
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SE
10
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SE
9
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SE
9
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12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 |
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VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | E | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG |
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Humidity
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93% | 92% | 92% | 91% | 89% | 87% | 83% | 80% | 77% | 74% | 71% | 69% | 68% | 67% | 64% | 61% | 60% | 64% | 70% | 77% | 85% | 89% | 91% |
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UV
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- | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - |
| Time | 00:00 | 01:00 | 04:00 | 07:00 | 10:00 | 13:00 | 16:00 | 19:00 | 22:00 |
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| Weather symbols |
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Chance of precipitation
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<5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | 10% | <5% | <5% | 10% | 10% |
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9°
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9°
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8°
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11°
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12°
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14°
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15°
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13°
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12°
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7° | 7° | 6° | 9° | 10° | 12° | 12° | 11° | 10° |
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SE
8
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SE
8
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SE
6
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SE
9
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SE
10
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SE
11
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SE
13
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SE
14
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SE
12
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17 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 19 | 20 | 17 |
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VG | VG | G | VG | VG | VG | G | G | G |
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Humidity
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92% | 93% | 95% | 88% | 84% | 79% | 82% | 88% | 95% |
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UV
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- | - | - | 1 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 1 | - |
| Time | 01:00 | 04:00 | 07:00 | 10:00 | 13:00 | 16:00 | 19:00 | 22:00 |
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| Weather symbols |
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Chance of precipitation
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10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 50% |
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11°
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12°
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12°
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14°
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15°
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15°
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13°
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12°
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9° | 9° | 10° | 12° | 14° | 14° | 12° | 10° |
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SE
12
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SE
11
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SSE
10
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SSE
9
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SSE
8
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E
5
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N
7
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NNW
11
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18 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 17 |
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M | M | G | G | M | G | G | M |
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Humidity
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96% | 96% | 93% | 88% | 83% | 82% | 88% | 92% |
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UV
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- | - | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | - |
| Time | 01:00 | 04:00 | 07:00 | 10:00 | 13:00 | 16:00 | 19:00 | 22:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather symbols |
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Chance of precipitation
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60% | 80% | 60% | 60% | 70% | 50% | 50% | 50% |
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11°
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11°
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11°
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11°
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11°
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11°
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11°
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10°
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9° | 8° | 7° | 7° | 7° | 7° | 7° | 7° |
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N
15
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N
18
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N
22
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N
23
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NNE
23
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NNE
22
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NNE
20
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NE
19
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22 | 27 | 33 | 35 | 34 | 32 | 29 | 27 |
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M | M | G | G | G | M | M | M |
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Humidity
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93% | 93% | 89% | 86% | 83% | 84% | 86% | 88% |
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UV
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- | - | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - |
| Time | 01:00 | 04:00 | 07:00 | 10:00 | 13:00 | 16:00 | 19:00 | 22:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather symbols |
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Chance of precipitation
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10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | <5% | <5% | 10% | <5% |
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10°
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10°
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11°
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12°
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13°
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14°
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13°
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11°
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7° | 7° | 8° | 9° | 10° | 11° | 10° | 9° |
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NE
17
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ENE
17
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ENE
17
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ENE
17
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E
15
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ENE
14
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ESE
13
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ESE
13
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25 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 18 |
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G | G | G | G | VG | VG | G | G |
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Humidity
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90% | 90% | 89% | 85% | 81% | 81% | 86% | 93% |
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UV
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- | - | 1 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 1 | - |
| Time | 01:00 | 04:00 | 07:00 | 10:00 | 13:00 | 16:00 | 19:00 | 22:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather symbols |
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Chance of precipitation
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10% | 10% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% |
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11°
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11°
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12°
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13°
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14°
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14°
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13°
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12°
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9° | 9° | 10° | 11° | 12° | 11° | 10° | 10° |
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SE
12
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SE
10
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SE
10
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SE
12
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SE
15
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SE
16
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SE
16
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SE
15
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17 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 22 |
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G | G | G | VG | VG | VG | VG | G |
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Humidity
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94% | 95% | 89% | 81% | 79% | 79% | 82% | 87% |
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UV
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- | - | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | - |
Our weather symbols tell you the weather conditions for any given hour in the day or night. This means that the symbol for 9am shows you what you will see from 9am to 10am.
Chance of precipitation represents how likely it is that rain (or other types of precipitation, such as sleet, snow, hail or drizzle) will fall from the sky at a certain time.
This number shows the air temperature for the time period. You can see the temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit by using the dropdown menu.
Feels like temperature considers other factors, such as wind speed and humidity. This gives you a better idea of how the temperature will actually feel at the time.
Wind gust shows the highest wind speed that you should encounter at that time, as winds peak and lull.
Strong winds are shown in bold for speeds of 29 mph or more.
The arrow shows the direction the wind is blowing. The letters show the direction the wind is blowing from (on a standard 16-point compass).
The number represents the average wind speed expected at that time.
The arrow shows the direction of the wind (up is north). If the arrow points from land to sea, the wind will be blowing out to sea (‘offshore’). The number is the average wind speed.
Beware of offshore winds if you are using inflatables, paddle boards or kayaks. These winds can blow you out to sea. Read more about how wind will affect you at the beach.
Visibility measures the distance at which an object can be clearly seen.
| VP (Very Poor) | Less than 1 km |
| P (Poor) | 1.1 km to 4 km |
| M (Moderate) | 4.1 km to 10 km |
| G (Good) | 10.1 km to 20 km |
| VG (Very Good) | 20.1 km to 40 km |
| E (Excellent) | Greater than 40 km |
Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air. If there is a lot of water vapour, the humidity will be high. The higher the percentage of humidity, the wetter it will feel outside.
UV exposure index and the protection required to help keep you safe:
No risk of UV - It’s safe to stay outside. Low - You can safely stay outside. Consider sunscreen in direct sunlight. Moderate - Take care during midday hours and do not spend too much time in the sun unprotected. Sunscreen advised. High - Seek shade during midday hours, cover up and wear sunscreen. Very high - Spend time in the shade between 11am and 3pm. Shirt, sunscreen and hat are essential. Extreme - Avoid being outside during midday hours. Shirt, sunscreen and hat essential.
This is the average height of the waves, 1-2 miles out to sea. The height of the waves can vary. The individual waves out to sea or at the beach can be higher than this number. If you are close to the water, keep an eye on the waves to stop you or your belongings being swept away.
Read more about calculating the expected height of the waves at the beach.
This is the average number of seconds between one wave and the next, 1-2 miles out to sea. A long wave period (more than 10 seconds) means the waves at the beach may be more powerful. Lifeguards can give you advice on waves if you’re planning to go into the water.
Read more about the period of waves.
The arrow shows the average direction of the waves 1-2 miles out to sea. It indicates how sheltered the beach will be from these waves. If the arrow points towards land, most of the waves’ power will reach the beach. If the arrow is parallel to or pointing away from land, the wave height is likely to be lower on the beach than it is offshore.
Lifeguards can give you advice on waves if you’re planning to go into the water.
Forecast row information
UK video forecast
Orkney & Shetland weather forecast
Headline:
After a cloudy start sunny spells into the afternoon.
This Evening and Tonight:
A dry evening across Shetland with some late sunshine. However cloudier over Orkney with some patchy light rain, mainly appearing during the evening. Light east to southeast breezes persisting. Minimum temperature 9 °C.
Monday:
Dry with long sunny periods, likely to be less cloud than previous days, light easterly winds continuing. Maximum temperature 15 °C.
Outlook for Tuesday to Thursday:
Remaining settled on Tuesday. Southeasterly winds and cloud increasing on Wednesday. Potential for some rain and stronger winds on Thursday.
Updated:
UK long range weather forecast
Most likely an unsettled start to the period with showers in the west and perhaps longer periods of rain in the northeast, although still some settled weather in between. Over the bank holiday weekend a band of rain likely to arrive from the west, becoming weaker as it moves east and becoming more showery in nature with scattered showers also following. Into the new week increasingly settled conditions more likely for most, though rain may threaten north-western areas whilst some southern or eastern areas occasionally less settled with showers more likely later in the period though there will be some sunshine between them, the best of this in south-western parts. Temperatures are likely to be a little above average, but some large spatial differences are likely.
Updated:
Relatively weak signals for conditions to be markedly different from climatology through the first half of June. That said, both temperatures and rainfall are more-likely to be a little above average overall, with further rain or showers (possibly heavy/thundery at times) but also some spells of warm sunshine.
Updated:
