ClimateForecastMayJune >>

Weather in May in Orkney Islands

Planning a journey to Orkney Islands this May and curious over the weather conditions to await? Your essential details are found on this page, answering your query:

What is the weather like in Orkney Islands in May?

Orkney Islands is a region in the United Kingdom. May in Orkney Islands generally has cold temperatures, with moderate precipitation.

Temperatures

You can expect cold maximum daytime temperatures of around 11°C and nighttime temperatures around 8°C in Orphir.

Precipitation

In May, precipitation varies across different areas. From moderate rainfall in Kirkwall with an average of 57 mm to moderate rainfall in Stromness with 62 mm. Based on our climate data it is the driest month of the year in Orphir.

Average sunshine

Meanwhile, Orphir enjoys approximately 192 hours of sunshine, offering a mostly sunny climate that adds a pleasant and vibrant feel to the month.

For a closer look at May's conditions in Orkney Islands, see the map below. For a more detailed look at Orkney Islands's yearly weather, check out our Orkney Islands climate page.

Where to go in Orkney Islands in May

Find more information for the most popular destinations in the Orkney Islands on the map below. Click on a destination dot for more detailes.

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Legend perfect weather pleasant tolerable unpleasant poor
Perfect weather is subjective. On this map perfect weather has been defined with temperatures between 20°C and 29°C and not too much precipitation (less than 90 mm a month).

Popular destinations

What is the weather like in May for the 5 most popular destinations in Orkney Islands?

Orphir

In May Orphir generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 11°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 8°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are unpleasant that month.

Orphir
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
9°C 
6°C 
139 hours 
69 mm 
18 days 
poor 
11°C 
8°C 
192 hours 
60 mm 
16 days 
June   >> June
>>  
12°C 
10°C 
149 hours 
66 mm 
16 days 
Climate in Orphir

Stromness

In May Stromness generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 11°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 8°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are unpleasant that month.

Stromness
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
9°C 
6°C 
139 hours 
71 mm 
18 days 
poor 
11°C 
8°C 
192 hours 
62 mm 
16 days 
June   >> June
>>  
12°C 
10°C 
149 hours 
67 mm 
17 days 
Climate in Stromness

Burray Village

In May Burray Village generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 11°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 8°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are unpleasant that month.

Burray Village
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
9°C 
6°C 
139 hours 
65 mm 
18 days 
poor 
11°C 
8°C 
192 hours 
57 mm 
16 days 
June   >> June
>>  
12°C 
10°C 
149 hours 
63 mm 
16 days 
Climate in Burray Village

Evie

In May Evie generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 10°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 8°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Evie
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
9°C 
6°C 
139 hours 
68 mm 
18 days 
poor 
10°C 
8°C 
192 hours 
58 mm 
16 days 
poor 
June   >> June
>>  
12°C 
10°C 
149 hours 
63 mm 
16 days 
Climate in Evie

Kirkwall

In May Kirkwall generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 10°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 8°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Kirkwall
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
9°C 
6°C 
139 hours 
66 mm 
18 days 
poor 
10°C 
8°C 
192 hours 
57 mm 
16 days 
poor 
June   >> June
>>  
12°C 
10°C 
149 hours 
62 mm 
16 days 
Climate in Kirkwall

Is your destination not in the list? Have a look at other destinations in Orkney Islands, in the United Kingdom.

Is May the best time to visit Orkney Islands?

In our opinion, May may not be the ideal time to visit Orkney Islands due to the typically unpleasant weather in Orphir.

Generally speaking, July and August provide tolerable weather in Orphir. On the other hand, the months of January, February, March, April, October, November and December tend to have poor weather conditions.

Interested in more climate information?

We have much more information about the climate in Orkney Islands. Interested in the weather conditions in a specific month? Select the month below.

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  • Weather and climate has detailed information for every country in the world. Are you going to the United Kingdom? Get detailed historical weather averages for many cities in the United Kingdom.

    Not sure yet where to go? We now have a tool which recommends destinations that suit your ideal travel conditions. Find out where to go with our weather planner.