Isle of Skye Weather by Month
Every tour of Skye is spent mostly outdoors, on hills, cliffs and paths with no shelter. Rain and wind change what you see and how far you can walk, and the season decides which doors are open. Match the month to the Isle of Skye guided tours you want before you book.
What the weather does to a Skye tour
The weather rarely cancels a tour. Timberbush says its tours run in all weather, and reviewers of the Portree day describe walking to the Fairy Pools in the rain. What a wet day changes is the view. Low cloud can hide the Old Man of Storr and the Cuillin, and a wet path makes the Fairy Pools walk slower.
Wind matters more than rain for the boats. High winds stop the Dunvegan seal trips and the boats to Loch Coruisk, and they can close Dunvegan Castle at short notice. The coach tours usually still run, so your day goes ahead with a different plan.
The figures below are the Met Office's 1991–2020 averages for Prabost, a station near Portree in the north of the island. They are thirty-year averages, not a forecast, so check yours the week before you travel.
Isle of Skye month by month
Isle of Skye weather in January
Highs average 6.6 °C and lows 1.9 °C. Expect about 209 mm of rain and 33 hours of sunshine. The wettest month. Eilean Donan is closed until 1 February, so the day tours stop outside it.
Isle of Skye weather in February
Highs average 7.0 °C and lows 1.8 °C. Expect about 168 mm of rain and 64 hours of sunshine. Drier than January, and the days lengthen. Eilean Donan reopens on the 1st, from 10:00 to 16:00.
Isle of Skye weather in March
Highs average 8.5 °C and lows 2.6 °C. Expect about 142 mm of rain and 105 hours of sunshine. Longer days and less rain each week. Paths are still wet, so wear boots at the Fairy Pools.
Isle of Skye weather in April
Highs average 11.2 °C and lows 4.3 °C. Expect about 95 mm of rain and 151 hours of sunshine. Dunvegan Castle and the seal trips open on the 1st. One listing says the Jacobite steam train starts its season this month.
Isle of Skye weather in May
Highs average 14.1 °C and lows 6.3 °C. Expect about 90 mm of rain and 196 hours of sunshine. The sunniest month, and one of the driest. It is the month to book if you want clear views from the Storr.
Isle of Skye weather in June
Highs average 15.7 °C and lows 8.8 °C. Expect about 82 mm of rain and 151 hours of sunshine. The driest month. Eilean Donan opens at 9:00 from June to August, so an early stop there is possible.
Isle of Skye weather in July
Highs average 16.9 °C and lows 10.6 °C. Expect about 102 mm of rain and 134 hours of sunshine. Mild by most standards, with long light evenings. Book your tour and your rooms well ahead.
Isle of Skye weather in August
Highs average 17.1 °C and lows 10.5 °C. Expect about 125 mm of rain and 121 hours of sunshine. The warmest month, with rain starting to rise again. Carry a waterproof for the Quiraing.
Isle of Skye weather in September
Highs average 15.1 °C and lows 8.7 °C. Expect about 150 mm of rain and 102 hours of sunshine. Wetter than August, with fewer visitors. The seal trips run their last weeks, until the 30th.
Isle of Skye weather in October
Highs average 11.9 °C and lows 6.3 °C. Expect about 199 mm of rain and 70 hours of sunshine. Rain climbs to nearly 200 mm. Dunvegan closes after the 15th, and Talisker has its maintenance weeks from the 11th.
Isle of Skye weather in November
Highs average 8.9 °C and lows 3.9 °C. Expect about 205 mm of rain and 41 hours of sunshine. Short, wet days. The Timberbush pickup in Glasgow moves to 9:30am from 1 November 2026.
Isle of Skye weather in December
Highs average 7.0 °C and lows 1.9 °C. Expect about 203 mm of rain and 31 hours of sunshine. The darkest month, with just 31 hours of sunshine. Eilean Donan closes on the 23rd.
The seasons, and which one you want
| Season | Average high | Average low | Rain | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring: March–May | 11.3 °C | 4.4 °C | 326 mm | 452 hours |
| Summer: June–August | 16.6 °C | 10.0 °C | 309 mm | 407 hours |
| Autumn: September–November | 12.0 °C | 6.3 °C | 554 mm | 213 hours |
| Winter: December–February | 6.9 °C | 1.9 °C | 579 mm | 128 hours |
Late spring is the easy answer. May has the most sunshine of the year and one of the lowest rainfalls, and Dunvegan Castle and the seal trips are open. June is the driest month. Both are busy, so book ahead.
Summer is mild rather than warm: August's average high is 17 °C. It is also the season when rain starts to climb again. Autumn is wet: October brings about a third more rain than September, and the paid doors start to close. Winter is dark and very wet, but the island stays open, and the tours run.
You will get rain in any month. Pack for it and choose your season for the light and the open doors. The castle dates are on the attractions page.
Best time of day
On a day tour from Inverness, the morning goes on the drive and Eilean Donan, so you see the north of Skye in the afternoon. You cannot choose the hour; you can only choose the day. Look at the forecast for Portree the night before and dress for it.
If you are staying on Skye, you get the morning too. The day from Portree begins on the island and walks the Fairy Pools first, before it drives north. In winter, plan around the short light: December has just 31 hours of sunshine at Prabost in the whole month.
What to wear on Skye
- A waterproof jacket, in every month. Even May and June bring 80 to 90 mm of rain.
- Shoes with grip. The Fairy Pools and Storr paths are rough and often wet.
- A warm layer, even in summer. Highs stay under 18 °C, and the wind on the cliffs makes it feel colder.
- A hat and gloves from November to March. Lows sit around 2 to 4 °C.
Frequently asked questions
What is the weather like on the Isle of Skye?
What is the best month to visit the Isle of Skye?
How much does it rain on Skye?
What should I wear on a Skye tour?
Where these facts come from
Temperatures, rainfall and sunshine are the Met Office's 1991–2020 averages for Skye: Prabost, checked 21 September 2026. Opening dates are the attractions' own; the all-weather clause, the steam-train season and the Glasgow pickup time are from the listings that carry them, captured 20 September 2026.
Next: see which doors are open on the attractions page, plan the activities on things to do, or compare every tour on Isle of Skye Day Tours.