Musselburgh weather in August

In August, Musselburgh sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 82 mm of rain across 14 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 17°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% 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 Musselburgh's 8th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Musselburgh's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
12°
12th coldest
Rainfall
82 mm
14 wet days
Daylight
14 h 54 min
4:51 AM – 7:42 PM
Cloud cover
73%
8th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
3.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.7
out of 10

Musselburgh is town in East Lothian, Scotland, UK.

Density
4,358/km²
people per km²

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 17°C through the month.

A typical August day in Musselburgh reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 2°C warmer than September.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11712
21712
31712
41712
51712
61712
71712
81712
91712
101712
111712
121712
131712
141712
151712
161712
171712
181712
191712
201712
211712
221712
231712
241612
251612
261612
271612
281612
291611
301611
311611

How August really feels in Musselburgh

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.

Musselburgh 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 / 7814.82.27.40.5
Feb / 63122.29.20.6
Mar / 61131.611.41.1
Apr10° / 5411.10.613.82.0
May12° / 5812.50163.0
Jun15° / 10°7113.2017.24.0
Jul17° / 12°7713.9016.74.7
Aug17° / 12°8214014.84.7
Sep15° / 10°6712012.54.1
Oct12° / 8913.9010.12.8
Nov / 8014.10.481.5
Dec / 8214.31.86.80.6

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 73%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22575
32674
42674
52674
62773
72773
82773
92773
102773
112773
122773
132773
142773
152773
162773
172773
182773
192872
202872
212872
222872
232971
242872
252872
262971
272872
282872
292872
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Musselburgh gets around 82 mm of rain over 14 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 45% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
146
245
345
445
545
645
745
845
945
1045
1145
1246
1346
1446
1547
1647
1747
1847
1947
2047
2146
2246
2345
2444
2543
2643
2742
2841
2940
3040
3139

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 79% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
171281
271281
371281
472271
572271
673261
773261
874251
974251
1075241
1176231
1276231
1377221
1477221
1578211
1678211
1779201
1880191
1980191
2082180
2183170
2284160
2385150
2485150
2586140
2687130
2788120
2888120
2989110
3089110
3189110

Wind in August

Winds average 15 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light 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 8:15 PM to 7:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.94:228:15
215.84:248:13
315.84:258:11
415.74:278:09
515.64:298:07
615.64:318:05
715.54:338:02
815.44:358:00
915.44:377:58
1015.34:397:56
1115.24:417:54
1215.14:437:51
1315.14:457:49
1415.04:477:47
1514.94:497:44
1614.94:517:42
1714.84:537:40
1814.74:557:37
1914.64:577:35
2014.64:597:32
2114.55:017:30
2214.45:037:27
2314.35:057:25
2414.35:077:22
2514.25:097:19
2614.15:117:17
2714.05:137:14
2814.05:157:12
2913.95:177:09
3013.85:197:06
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 3.66 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.39 kWh/m² to a high of 4.8 kWh/m² in May across the year — August's 3.66 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.1Bright
24.1Bright
34.0Bright
44.0Bright
54.0Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.8Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.8Moderate
123.7Moderate
133.7Moderate
143.7Moderate
153.7Moderate
163.6Moderate
173.6Moderate
183.6Moderate
193.6Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.4Moderate
263.4Moderate
273.4Moderate
283.3Moderate
293.3Moderate
303.2Moderate
313.2Moderate
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Musselburgh?

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

4.7
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

August is a reasonable time to visit Musselburgh for sightseeing.

What to pack for Musselburgh in August

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

In August, Musselburgh sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 12°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer. About 14 days see rain.

rain geara warm layer

Sea temperature near Musselburgh 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 21 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 Musselburgh 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 Musselburgh 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 Musselburgh?

Musselburgh sits at 55.9°N, 3.0°W, 9 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Bonnyrigg, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Musselburgh

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Musselburgh has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 82 m around an average of 18 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 483 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 852 m.

The land around Musselburgh is covered by water (32%) and grassland (23%) within 3 km, water (34%), cropland (21%) and grassland (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (47%) and water (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
82 m
16 km
483 m
80 km
852 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
August weather nearby: Bonnyrigg 8.0 km · Edinburgh 9.0 km · Penicuik 16 km · Kirkcaldy 21 km · Broxburn 26 km · Glenrothes 29 km · Dunfermline 29 km · Livingston 30 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 Musselburgh (55.9417°, -3.0499°, elevation 9 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).