Orkney in Spring

In spring (September, October and November), Orkney sees average daytime highs around 28°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 147 mm of rain over about 24 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.

Over the season highs climb from about 25°C in early September to 29°C by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.

Spring is Orkney's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Orkney's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high: 28°C; 2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low: 13°C
Rainfall: 147 mm; 24 wet days
Avg wind: 12 km/h
Travel score: 6.7; 3rd-best season
Months: Sep · Oct · Nov

← Winter Orkney year-round climate Summer →

Spring Summer Fall Winter

Temperature in Orkney in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 25°C in early September to 29°C by late November.

A typical spring day in Orkney reaches about 28°C and drops to 13°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is November, the coolest September.

How spring really feels in Orkney

Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 0°C

wind chill below the day's low

spring sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Orkney weather by month

How the three spring months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	29° / 18°	97	14.4	13.5	4.9
Feb	29° / 17°	77	12.3	13	5.4
Mar	27° / 15°	68	10.8	12.2	6.5
Apr	25° / 12°	40	6.9	11.4	7.8
May	23° / 7°	19	3.1	10.7	8.6
Jun	20° / 3°	10	1.5	10.3	8.3
Jul	20° / 3°	5	0.9	10.5	8.5
Aug	23° / 6°	12	1.7	11	9.0
Sep	27° / 10°	15	3	11.8	8.3
Oct	28° / 14°	60	9.4	12.6	6.4
Nov	29° / 15°	73	11.3	13.3	5.5
Dec	30° / 17°	99	14.9	13.7	4.8

Cloud cover in Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time across spring.

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitation

Orkney gets around 147 mm of rain over 24 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Humidity in Spring

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

Wind in Spring

Winds average 12 km/h across spring.

Sunrise & sunset in Spring

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min in early September to 13 h 36 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Solar energy in Spring

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 6.7 kWh/m².

Planning a trip in spring

Hazard calendar for Orkney

In seasonPeak

In spring, Orkney overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Orkney's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Is spring a good time to visit Orkney?

Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

6.7

Sightseeing

3rd-best month of the year

7.5

Beach & pool

1st-best month of the year

spring is a reasonable time to visit Orkney for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Orkney in Spring

From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In spring, Orkney sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 13°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 24 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Orkney in Spring

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Orkney peaks around January 13 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 5 (high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	15	13	12	9	6	5	5	7	9	11	12	14
Level	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Very high	High	Moderate	High	Very high	Very high	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	15	Extreme
Feb	13	Extreme
Mar	12	Extreme
Apr	9	Very high
May	6	High
Jun	5	Moderate
Jul	5	High
Aug	7	Very high
Sep	9	Very high
Oct	11	Extreme
Nov	12	Extreme
Dec	14	Extreme

Air quality in Orkney in Spring

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where spring falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Orkney is worst in June — around 57 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.6× the cleanest month (December, 12 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
PM2.5 (µg/m³)	14	19	26	34	48	57	56	45	38	26	15	12
Level	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Poor	Unhealthy	Unhealthy	Poor	Poor	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate

	PM2.5 (µg/m³)	Level
Jan	14	Moderate
Feb	19	Moderate
Mar	26	Moderate
Apr	34	Moderate
May	48	Poor
Jun	57	Unhealthy
Jul	56	Unhealthy
Aug	45	Poor
Sep	38	Poor
Oct	26	Moderate
Nov	15	Moderate
Dec	12	Moderate

Location & terrain

Where is Orkney?

Orkney sits at 27.0°S, 26.7°E, 1,312 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Klerksdorp, 14 km away.

Topography around Orkney

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Orkney.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Orkney has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 51 m around an average of 1,299 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 133 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 445 m.

The land around Orkney is covered by grassland (55%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) and cropland (27%) within 16 km, and grassland (58%) and cropland (36%) within 80 km.

3 km

51 m

grassland 55%

16 km

133 m

grassland 57%

80 km

445 m

grassland 58%

treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater

← Winter Orkney year-round climate Summer →

Spring weather nearby: Klerksdorp 14 km · Stilfontein 18 km · Hartbeesfontein 35 km · Viljoenskroon 37 km · Bothaville 46 km · Potchefstroom 52 km · Leeudoringstad 52 km · Vredefort 69 km

South Africa travel facts

Travel advisory: Level 2; Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs: Type C / M / N; 230 V · 50 Hz
Prices: ≈ 41% of US; price level, 2025
GDP per capita: $6,598; 2025
Happiness: 5.0 / 10; World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water: 68%; of population, 2024
Homicide rate: 43.7; per 100k, 2022
Road deaths: 22.2; per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group: Upper middle; World Bank
English: Very high; EF EPI 602
Religion

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Orkney (-26.9802°, 26.6727°, elevation 1,312 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.