As the Scottish islands are situated rather far north and as they are totally surrounded by sea they have what is called a maritime sub-Arctic climate. This sounds colder than that it really is. The seas around the islands moderate the climate and keep it reasonably steady.

The average temperature in August is about 14°C (57°F), in winter 4°C (39°F). The general character of the climate is windy and cloudy with about 200 days of rain in the year.

One of the fascinating things is the almost night-less summers. The islands are situated so far north that the sun is almost continuously above the horizon.