Climate averages 1991–2020
Orkney weather
in August.
A warm, very dry month: the 9th warmest and the 3rd driest of the year. Meets the pleasant-weather rule
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
August is a warm month in Orkney: daytime highs average 22.1°C and nights cool to about 5.7°C. By daytime temperature it is the 9th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 12 mm of rain on roughly 2 days, which makes August a very dry month (the 3rd driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 11 h 10 min on an average August day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Klerksdorp (14 km away). In August its highs average 22.2°C, about as warm as Orkney, with 10 mm of rain.
Among the 95 cities listed in South Africa, Orkney ranks 24th of 95 for the warmest August highs and joint 42nd of 95 for the driest August (rainfall, lowest first). The mean August high of those 95 cities is 21.0°C; Orkney is 1.1°C warmer than that mean.
From August to September, average highs rise by 4.5°C to 26.6°C, and monthly rainfall rises from 12 mm to 15 mm.
The annual picture
August in context
Monthly rainfall
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Orkney climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29.0°C17.2°C | 17.2°C | 97 | 14.4 | 13.614 h |
| February | 28.3°C16.7°C | 16.7°C | 77 | 12.4 | 13.013 h |
| March | 26.9°C14.9°C | 14.9°C | 68 | 10.8 | 12.312 h |
| April | 24.0°C11.3°C | 11.3°C | 40 | 6.9 | 11.511 h |
| May | 21.5°C7.0°C | 7.0°C | 19 | 3.1 | 10.811 h |
| June | 18.6°C3.5°C | 3.5°C | 9.9 | 1.5 | 10.510 h |
| July | 18.8°C2.9°C | 2.9°C | 4.6 | 0.9 | 10.611 h |
| August, selected | 22.1°C5.7°C | 5.7°C | 12 | 1.7 | 11.211 h |
| September | 26.6°C10.1°C | 10.1°C | 15 | 3.0 | 11.912 h |
| October | 28.3°C13.2°C | 13.2°C | 60 | 9.4 | 12.713 h |
| November | 28.7°C14.8°C | 14.8°C | 73 | 11.2 | 13.413 h |
| December | 29.1°C16.6°C | 16.6°C | 98 | 14.8 | 13.814 h |
Rainfall is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A rain day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
August in nearby cities
- Klerksdorp in AugustSouth Africa · 14 kmHigh 22.2°C · Low 6.0°C · 10 mm rain
- Stilfontein in AugustSouth Africa · 18 kmHigh 22.0°C · Low 5.9°C · 10 mm rain
- Bothaville in AugustSouth Africa · 46 kmHigh 21.9°C · Low 5.5°C · 14 mm rain
- Potchefstroom in AugustSouth Africa · 52 kmHigh 22.2°C · Low 6.5°C · 11 mm rain
- Parys in AugustSouth Africa · 78 kmHigh 21.7°C · Low 6.1°C · 14 mm rain
- Kroonstad in AugustSouth Africa · 93 kmHigh 20.8°C · Low 5.2°C · 15 mm rain
- Kutloanong in AugustSouth Africa · 95 kmHigh 21.1°C · Low 5.1°C · 16 mm rain
- Odendaalsrus in AugustSouth Africa · 99 kmHigh 20.9°C · Low 5.1°C · 16 mm rain
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Orkney) is explained once on the Orkney year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.