Edinburgh weather in August

In August, Edinburgh sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 75 mm of rain across 13.2 wet days and about 14.8 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 h 54 min at the start of August to 13 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Edinburgh's 9th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Edinburgh's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
12°
11th coldest
Rainfall
75 mm
13.2 wet days
Daylight
14 h 54 min
4:51 AM – 7:43 PM
Cloud cover
76%
9th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
3.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Edinburgh is capital city of Scotland, UK.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 6.3 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,988/km²
people per km²
Founded
~601 CE

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°C through the month.

A typical August day in Edinburgh reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 2°C warmer than September.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11912
21912
31912
41912
51812
61812
71812
81812
91812
101812
111812
121812
131812
141812
151812
161812
171812
181812
191812
201812
211811
221811
231811
241811
251811
261811
271811
281711
291711
301711
311711

How August really feels in Edinburgh

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Edinburgh weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 74142.47.40.6
Feb / 6111.82.59.20.8
Mar / 5912.51.711.41.5
Apr11° / 5411.60.713.82.5
May14° / 5612.60.1163.6
Jun16° / 10°6413.1017.24.5
Jul18° / 12°7113.6016.75.2
Aug18° / 12°7513.2014.85.2
Sep16° / 10°5911.1012.54.5
Oct12° / 8013010.13.1
Nov / 7113.60.581.6
Dec / 7613.41.96.80.7

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 77%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22377
32377
42377
52377
62377
72476
82476
92476
102476
112476
122377
132377
142377
152377
162377
172377
182377
192377
202278
212377
222377
232476
242476
252476
262476
272476
282575
292476
302476
312476

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Edinburgh gets around 75 mm of rain over 13.2 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 43% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
245
345
445
545
645
745
845
945
1045
1145
1245
1345
1445
1545
1645
1745
1845
1944
2043
2143
2242
2341
2440
2539
2638
2738
2837
2936
3036
3136

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the dry band about 74% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
167285
267285
368275
468275
568275
669265
769265
870255
970255
1070255
1171254
1271254
1371254
1472244
1572244
1673243
1773243
1874233
1975232
2076222
2177212
2278211
2379201
2480191
2581181
2681181
2782171
2883161
2983161
3084151
3184151

Wind in August

Winds average 13 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 h 54 min at the start of August to 13 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 132 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 4:22 AM to 5:21 AM, and sunset from 8:16 PM to 7:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.94:228:16
215.84:248:14
315.84:268:12
415.74:288:09
515.64:308:07
615.64:328:05
715.54:348:03
815.44:358:01
915.44:377:59
1015.34:397:57
1115.24:417:54
1215.14:437:52
1315.14:457:50
1415.04:477:47
1514.94:497:45
1614.94:517:43
1714.84:537:40
1814.74:557:38
1914.64:577:35
2014.64:597:33
2114.55:017:30
2214.45:037:28
2314.35:057:25
2414.35:077:23
2514.25:097:20
2614.15:117:18
2714.05:137:15
2814.05:157:12
2913.95:177:10
3013.85:197:07
3113.75:217:04

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 3.58 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.38 kWh/m² to a high of 4.74 kWh/m² in May across the year — August's 3.58 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Bright
24.0Moderate
34.0Moderate
43.9Moderate
53.9Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.8Moderate
93.8Moderate
103.7Moderate
113.7Moderate
123.7Moderate
133.6Moderate
143.6Moderate
153.6Moderate
163.6Moderate
173.5Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.4Moderate
233.4Moderate
243.4Moderate
253.3Moderate
263.3Moderate
273.3Moderate
283.3Moderate
293.2Moderate
303.2Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Edinburgh?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.2
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
1.7
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Edinburgh for sightseeing.

What to pack for Edinburgh in August

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

In August, Edinburgh sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

rain gear

Sea temperature near Edinburgh in August

The nearest coast averages about 14°C in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 20 km away) is warmest in August at about 14°C and coldest in February near 6°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

5°10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Edinburgh in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Edinburgh peaks around June 20 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 5 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 20UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Edinburgh?

Edinburgh sits at 56.0°N, 3.2°W, 66 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Musselburgh, 9.0 km away.

Topography around Edinburgh

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Edinburgh has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 229 m around an average of 54 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 582 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 978 m.

The land around Edinburgh is covered by artificial surfaces (55%) and trees (32%) within 3 km, water (33%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and grassland (49%) within 80 km.

3 km
229 m
16 km
582 m
80 km
978 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
August weather nearby: Musselburgh 9.0 km · Bonnyrigg 10 km · Penicuik 14 km · Broxburn 17 km · Kirkcaldy 18 km · Dunfermline 21 km · Livingston 21 km · Glenrothes 27 km

United Kingdom travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 89% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$57,602
2025
Happiness
6.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
3.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 60%none 26%Muslim 4%other 2%

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 Edinburgh (55.9521°, -3.1965°, elevation 66 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).