Kirkwall (Orkney Islands) weather
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Forecast days
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Today. Maximum daytime temperature: 8 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 3 degrees Celsius. Cloudy changing to sunny intervals by lunchtime. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: Moderate; Pollution: Low; Pollen: Low.Today. Maximum daytime temperature: 8 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 3 degrees Celsius. Cloudy changing to sunny intervals by lunchtime. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: Moderate; Pollution: Low; Pollen: Low.
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Thursday 25 April. Maximum daytime temperature: 8 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 4 degrees Celsius. Overcast changing to sunny intervals by late morning. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: Moderate; Pollution: Low; Pollen: Low.Thursday 25 April. Maximum daytime temperature: 8 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 4 degrees Celsius. Overcast changing to sunny intervals by late morning. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: Moderate; Pollution: Low; Pollen: Low.
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Friday 26 April. Maximum daytime temperature: 8 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 4 degrees Celsius. Cloudy changing to sunny intervals by late morning. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: Moderate; Pollution: Low; Pollen: Low.Friday 26 April. Maximum daytime temperature: 8 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 4 degrees Celsius. Cloudy changing to sunny intervals by late morning. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: Moderate; Pollution: Low; Pollen: Low.
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Saturday 27 April. Maximum daytime temperature: 9 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 6 degrees Celsius. Sunny intervals changing to light showers by lunchtime. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: Moderate; Pollution: Moderate; Pollen: Low.Saturday 27 April. Maximum daytime temperature: 9 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 6 degrees Celsius. Sunny intervals changing to light showers by lunchtime. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: Moderate; Pollution: Moderate; Pollen: Low.
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Sunday 28 April. Maximum daytime temperature: 9 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 6 degrees Celsius. Sunny intervals changing to cloudy by late morning. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: Moderate; Pollen: Low.Sunday 28 April. Maximum daytime temperature: 9 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 6 degrees Celsius. Sunny intervals changing to cloudy by late morning. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: Moderate; Pollen: Low.
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Monday 29 April. Maximum daytime temperature: 10 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 7 degrees Celsius. Cloudy changing to sunny intervals by late morning. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: Moderate;Monday 29 April. Maximum daytime temperature: 10 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 7 degrees Celsius. Cloudy changing to sunny intervals by late morning. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: Moderate;
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Tuesday 30 April. Maximum daytime temperature: 11 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 7 degrees Celsius. Cloudy changing to sunny by lunchtime. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: Moderate;Tuesday 30 April. Maximum daytime temperature: 11 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 7 degrees Celsius. Cloudy changing to sunny by lunchtime. Sunrise: ; Sunset: . UV: Moderate;
Seven day forecast for Kirkwall
| Time | 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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Chance of precipitation
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<5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | 10% | <5% | <5% | 10% |
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4°
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5°
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5°
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5°
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6°
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6°
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6°
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7°
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7°
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8°
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7°
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7°
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7°
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7°
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6°
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6°
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6°
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5°
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0° | 1° | 1° | 2° | 2° | 2° | 3° | 3° | 3° | 4° | 3° | 3° | 3° | 3° | 3° | 2° | 2° | 1° |
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N
11
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N
12
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NNW
12
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N
12
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NNW
13
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NNW
13
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NNW
13
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NNW
14
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NNW
15
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NNW
16
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NW
16
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NW
17
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NW
16
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NW
16
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NNW
14
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NNW
14
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NNW
15
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N
17
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16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 |
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VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG |
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Humidity
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66% | 64% | 61% | 62% | 62% | 61% | 61% | 59% | 57% | 58% | 57% | 59% | 60% | 65% | 66% | 67% | 64% | 68% |
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UV
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1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - |
| Time | 00:00 | 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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Chance of precipitation
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<5% | 10% | 10% | 40% | 10% | <5% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | <5% | <5% | <5% | <5% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% |
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5°
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5°
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5°
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4°
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4°
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4°
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5°
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5°
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5°
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6°
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6°
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7°
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7°
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7°
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7°
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7°
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7°
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7°
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6°
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6°
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6°
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5°
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5°
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5°
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1° | 0° | 1° | 0° | 1° | 0° | 1° | 1° | 2° | 3° | 3° | 3° | 4° | 4° | 4° | 4° | 4° | 4° | 3° | 3° | 3° | 3° | 2° | 2° |
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N
14
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N
14
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NNW
13
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N
15
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N
12
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N
13
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N
12
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N
12
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NNE
10
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NNE
11
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NNE
12
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NNE
13
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NNE
11
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ENE
9
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NNE
9
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NNE
11
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NNE
11
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NNE
12
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N
10
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NNE
9
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NNE
8
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N
6
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N
7
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N
7
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22 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
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VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | E | VG | VG | VG | E | E | E | E | VG | VG | E | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG |
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Humidity
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71% | 74% | 75% | 80% | 77% | 78% | 78% | 75% | 74% | 65% | 67% | 61% | 60% | 63% | 65% | 60% | 63% | 66% | 69% | 73% | 77% | 78% | 83% | 85% |
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UV
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- | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 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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10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 30% | 30% | 30% | 10% |
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5°
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5°
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5°
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5°
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7°
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7°
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8°
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7°
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5°
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2° | 2° | 2° | 3° | 5° | 6° | 6° | 5° | 3° |
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NNW
7
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N
8
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N
8
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N
6
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N
6
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NNE
6
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NNE
5
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ENE
5
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SE
5
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11 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 |
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VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | G | G | VG | VG |
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Humidity
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84% | 83% | 86% | 83% | 70% | 69% | 69% | 73% | 84% |
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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 |
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| Weather symbols |
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Chance of precipitation
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<5% | <5% | <5% | 10% | 30% | 10% | 10% | 10% |
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5°
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4°
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5°
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8°
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8°
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8°
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8°
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6°
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3° | 2° | 3° | 5° | 6° | 6° | 5° | 3° |
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ESE
5
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SW
6
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NE
7
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S
9
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SSE
11
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E
11
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SSE
11
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SSE
11
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9 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 |
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VG | G | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG | VG |
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Humidity
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87% | 89% | 85% | 70% | 67% | 67% | 73% | 84% |
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UV
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- | - | 1 | 3 | 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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10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 20% | 20% | 70% |
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6°
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6°
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7°
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8°
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8°
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8°
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8°
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7°
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3° | 3° | 3° | 4° | 5° | 5° | 5° | 4° |
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SE
11
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SE
11
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SE
13
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SE
16
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ESE
17
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E
16
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E
16
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ESE
15
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17 | 17 | 20 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 22 |
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G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G |
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Humidity
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86% | 87% | 85% | 77% | 76% | 78% | 82% | 90% |
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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 |
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| Weather symbols |
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Chance of precipitation
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20% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% |
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7°
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7°
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7°
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9°
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10°
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10°
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9°
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8°
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4° | 4° | 4° | 6° | 7° | 7° | 7° | 5° |
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W
14
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SE
13
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SE
14
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WNW
14
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WSW
15
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SE
14
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SSE
14
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SSE
13
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20 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 19 |
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G | G | G | VG | G | VG | VG | G |
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Humidity
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91% | 92% | 89% | 78% | 73% | 74% | 79% | 85% |
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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% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% |
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8°
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8°
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8°
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9°
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11°
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10°
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10°
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9°
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5° | 5° | 5° | 6° | 8° | 7° | 7° | 6° |
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SSE
13
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SSE
13
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SE
14
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SE
16
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SE
16
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SE
16
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SE
15
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SE
14
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19 | 19 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 20 |
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G | G | G | VG | VG | VG | VG | G |
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Humidity
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89% | 89% | 89% | 82% | 76% | 78% | 82% | 88% |
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UV
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- | - | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | - |
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:
A few showers with sunny spells developing
Today:
Rather cloudy this morning across the Northern Isles with a few light showers around. A little more in the way of sunshine this afternoon, but still the odd shower, especially across Shetland later. Feeling cool in the fresh northwesterly breeze. Maximum temperature 8 °C.
Tonight:
Clear spells and showers this evening, the showers, especially across Shetland, heavy at times. Overnight the showers ease a little with some clear spells developing. Occasionally strong northerly winds easing. Minimum temperature 2 °C.
Thursday:
A bright day with some sunny spells but still the occasional, mainly light shower around. Occasionally fresh northeasterly winds easing. Maximum temperature 8 °C.
Outlook for Friday to Sunday:
Rather cloudy with scattered showers through Friday and Saturday, with mainly light winds. Dry and bright morning Sunday but rain expected to spread north in afternoon with easterly winds strengthening.
Updated:
UK long range weather forecast
An uncertain start to the period though likely unsettled as a frontal system continues to push north across the UK, coupled with strong winds and possible coastal gales, this likely followed by a showery day with potential thunderstorms on Sunday and again on Monday. Beyond this, low pressure patterns continue to dominate with wet weather perhaps more likely to develop in parts of the south and east, though all parts are may see some rain at times. Winds further into the period mostly light to moderate. Temperatures will likely trend near or slightly above average, though some cooler interludes remain possible. Into early May, something of a north-south split looks possible, with relatively drier conditions further to the north and the greatest chance of rain further to the south.
Updated:
In this period, the chances of unsettled weather are slightly less than usual in the north and about the same as usual further south. Therefore, some spells of wetter weather are likely for all, but perhaps especially southern areas with the driest conditions probably further north. Temperatures probably near average though with some cooler interludes possible.. Also worth noting that average temperatures themselves rise by around 1C per week at this time of year.
Updated:
