Shetland Temperature by Month

Shetland, Scotland has a consistently chilly climate year-round, with daytime highs averaging 11°C (52°F). Below you'll find a full monthly breakdown and a comparison with cities worldwide.

Shetland enjoys a stable climate with temperatures staying pretty much the same throughout the year. Maximum daytime temperatures range from a chilly 8°C (46°F) in February to a moderate 15°C (59°F) in August. Nights are consistently cool, with lows between 12°C (54°F) and 5°C (41°F).

The chart below illustrates the average maximum day and minimum night temperatures in Shetland by month:

The minimum temperature is often recorded between 4 AM and 6 AM, while the highest temperature is usually reached at 3 PM, when the sun's heating effect is strongest. August, the warmest month, gets 128 hours of sunshine.

The chart below shows the average temperature throughout the year:

Shetland's average annual maximum temperature is 11°C (52°F). To put that in context, here's how it compares to a few well-known destinations:

Barcelona, Spain has an annual average of around 21°C (70°F), with warm summers and mild, fairly short winters.

Zermatt, Switzerland averages just 4°C (39°F) annually due to its altitude, with very cold winters and cool summers even at its warmest.

Chicago, USA averages 15°C (59°F) annually, known for extreme seasonal swings, from bitterly cold winters to warm summers.

Perth, Australia averages 25°C (77°F) annually, with a classic Mediterranean climate, hot dry summers and mild wet winters.

Climate temperature data is typically calculated as a 30-year average. This smooths out year-to-year variability and gives a more reliable picture of what a place is actually like, rather than what happened in any single unusual year.

The readings come from a range of sources, land-based weather stations, ocean buoys, ships, and satellites. That data is collected by weather services around the world, then pooled, quality-checked, and averaged to produce the climate records you see here.

Global average temperatures have risen by around 1.2°C since the pre-industrial era, and the effects are visible across many regions. Winters are milder on average, with fewer frost days and less snow in many parts of the world. Heatwaves are more frequent and more intense, and Europe's summers of 2018, 2019, and 2020 all set records.

Summers are also getting drier in some areas, while winter rainfall has increased in others. This contributies to higher river levels and more flooding. In many countries, spring arrives earlier and autumn lasts longer. It has knock-on effects for wildlife, agriculture, and local ecosystems.

For more on Shetland's weather, including monthly rainfall, sunshine hours, and humidity, visit our Shetland climate page.