Fort William weather in August

In August, Fort William sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 145 mm of rain across 19.5 wet days and about 14.9 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 16°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 16 hours at the start of August to 13 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Fort William's 3rd-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fort William's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
10°
11th coldest
Rainfall
145 mm
19.5 wet days
Daylight
15 hours
4:56 AM – 7:53 PM
Cloud cover
82%
3rd clearest
Wind
10 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
3.21 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Fort William is town in Highland, Scotland, UK.

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 16°C through the month.

A typical August day in Fort William reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 19°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)
11610
21610
31610
41610
51610
61610
71610
81610
91610
101610
111610
121610
131610
141610
151610
161610
171610
181610
19169
20169
21169
22169
23159
24159
25159
26159
27159
28159
29159
30159
31159

How August really feels in Fort William

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.

Fort William weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 22419.510.87.20.0
Feb / 18117.59.89.10.0
Mar / 16617.97.611.40.6
Apr10° / 11316.42.813.91.7
May13° / 12216.90.416.12.8
Jun15° / 11817.4017.43.4
Jul16° / 10°12919.4016.93.7
Aug16° / 10°14519.5014.93.7
Sep14° / 15117012.53.1
Oct10° / 18618.90.5101.8
Nov / 17518.73.27.80.7
Dec / 20518.486.60.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 88%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11387
21288
31288
41387
51387
61387
71288
81189
91189
101189
111189
121189
131189
141189
151189
161090
171090
181090
191189
201189
211189
221189
231288
241387
251387
261387
271387
281387
291387
301387
311387

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Fort William gets around 145 mm of rain over 19.5 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 63% and peaks near 67% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
167
267
367
466
566
666
765
865
965
1064
1164
1264
1364
1464
1564
1664
1764
1863
1963
2063
2163
2262
2362
2461
2560
2660
2759
2858
2957
3057
3157

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 88% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
182171
283161
383161
483161
584151
684151
785141
885141
985141
1086131
1186131
1286131
1387121
1487121
1587121
1688111
1788111
1888111
1989101
209190
219190
229280
239280
249370
259370
269370
279460
289460
299460
309460
319460

Wind in August

Winds average 10 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 16 hours at the start of August to 13 h 48 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 4:26 AM to 5:27 AM, and sunset from 8:27 PM to 7:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
116.04:268:27
216.04:288:25
315.94:298:23
415.84:318:21
515.84:338:19
615.74:358:17
715.64:378:15
815.54:398:12
915.54:418:10
1015.44:448:08
1115.34:468:05
1215.34:488:03
1315.24:508:01
1415.14:527:58
1515.04:547:56
1615.04:567:53
1714.94:587:51
1814.85:007:48
1914.75:027:46
2014.65:047:43
2114.65:067:41
2214.55:087:38
2314.45:107:35
2414.35:137:33
2514.35:157:30
2614.25:177:27
2714.15:197:25
2814.05:217:22
2913.95:237:19
3013.95:257:17
3113.85:277:14

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 3.21 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.29 kWh/m² to a high of 4.43 kWh/m² in May across the year — August's 3.21 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.5Moderate
53.5Moderate
63.5Moderate
73.5Moderate
83.4Moderate
93.4Moderate
103.4Moderate
113.3Moderate
123.3Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.3Moderate
153.2Moderate
163.2Moderate
173.2Moderate
183.2Moderate
193.1Moderate
203.1Moderate
213.1Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.0Moderate
243.0Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.9Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.7Moderate
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Fort William?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

August is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Fort William.

What to pack for Fort William in August

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

In August, Fort William sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 10°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer. About 20 days see rain.

rain geara warm layer

Sea temperature near Fort William 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 47 km away) is warmest in August at about 14°C and coldest in February near 8°C.

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

6°8°10°12°14°16°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan8Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct13Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Fort William in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Fort William peaks around July 11 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 11UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug4Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Fort William?

Fort William sits at 56.8°N, 5.1°W, 24 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Inverness, 91 km away.

InvernessGreenockVale of LevenDumbartonStirlingErskineClydebankBearsden

Topography around Fort William

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Fort William has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 521 m around an average of 97 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,341 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,339 m.

The land around Fort William is covered by grassland (48%), trees (23%) and water (21%) within 3 km, grassland (69%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (68%) within 80 km.

3 km
521 m
16 km
1,341 m
80 km
1,339 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
August weather nearby: Inverness 91 km · Greenock 99 km · Vale of Leven 100 km · Dumbarton 103 km · Stirling 106 km · Erskine 110 km · Clydebank 111 km · Bearsden 111 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 Fort William (56.8165°, -5.1121°, elevation 24 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).