Best time to visit Fort William
Month-by-month weather averages for Fort William.
Fort William, Scotland, United Kingdom
°C
mm
- Average daily high and low
- Precipitation
- Good month
- Best month
- Made good or best by an event
| Month | Average daily high | Average daily low | Precipitation | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.4 °C / 40 °F | 0.3 °C / 33 °F | 203 mm / 8 in | neither best nor good |
| February | 5.1 °C / 41 °F | 0.5 °C / 33 °F | 181 mm / 7.1 in | neither best nor good |
| March | 6.9 °C / 44 °F | 1.1 °C / 34 °F | 150 mm / 5.9 in | neither best nor good |
| April | 10 °C / 50 °F | 2.6 °C / 37 °F | 102 mm / 4 in | neither best nor good |
| May | 12.9 °C / 55 °F | 5.4 °C / 42 °F | 131 mm / 5.2 in | neither best nor good |
| June | 15.2 °C / 59 °F | 8.4 °C / 47 °F | 117 mm / 4.6 in | neither best nor good |
| July | 16.4 °C / 62 °F | 10 °C / 50 °F | 136 mm / 5.3 in | neither best nor good |
| August | 15.7 °C / 60 °F | 9.8 °C / 50 °F | 164 mm / 6.4 in | neither best nor good |
| September | 14 °C / 57 °F | 8.1 °C / 47 °F | 153 mm / 6 in | neither best nor good |
| October | 10.8 °C / 51 °F | 5.6 °C / 42 °F | 199 mm / 7.9 in | neither best nor good |
| November | 7.2 °C / 45 °F | 2.6 °C / 37 °F | 178 mm / 7 in | neither best nor good |
| December | 4.9 °C / 41 °F | 0.7 °C / 33 °F | 225 mm / 8.8 in | neither best nor good |
Good and best months depend on more than temperature, rain and events. How they are chosen
Each activity on this page has its own good and best months, rated on twenty years of daily weather records. Which measures count, and how much, depends on the activity: humidity for exploring outdoors, wind for the beach, hiking and skiing, snow for skiing alone. Between them, the activities are rated on:
- Daytime highs
- Night-time lows
- How warm it feels
- Humidity
- How much of the day is sunny
- Hours of daylight
- Monthly rainfall
- How many days it rains
- Days of heavy rain
- Wind
- Snowfall and days with snow
- Major events, such as festivals
The chart shows the good and best months for exploring outdoors.
The event icon marks a month that an event lifts to good or best, such as a festival or a natural spectacle. Choose “Weather only” in the toolbar to rate the months on weather alone.
Best months by activity
Exploring outdoors
Mild days and nights, mostly dry and bright. The default for 'when should I go'.
- JJanuary: neither
- FFebruary: neither
- MMarch: neither
- AApril: neither
- MMay: neither
- JJune: neither
- JJuly: neither
- AAugust: neither
- SSeptember: neither
- OOctober: neither
- NNovember: neither
- DDecember: neither
No month is good for this in Fort William.
Hiking and trekking
Cool enough to climb in, dry enough to enjoy, long enough days.
- JJanuary: neither
- FFebruary: neither
- MMarch: neither
- AApril: good
- MMay: good
- JJune: good
- JJuly: good
- AAugust: neither
- SSeptember: neither
- OOctober: neither
- NNovember: neither
- DDecember: neither
- Good
- April–July
Why these months
April · good
In its favour: average daily high 10 °C / 50 °F, precipitation 102 mm / 4 in, share of daylight that is sunny 63%, daylight per day 14.3 h, days with heavy rain 2.9 days, average daily low 2.6 °C / 37 °F, wind (daily max) 16 km/h / 10 mph, feels like (high) 6.7 °C / 44 °F.
Against: wet days 15.3 days.
May · good
In its favour: average daily high 12.9 °C / 55 °F, average daily low 5.4 °C / 42 °F, share of daylight that is sunny 59%, daylight per day 16.5 h, feels like (high) 10.4 °C / 51 °F, precipitation 131 mm / 5.2 in, wind (daily max) 16 km/h / 10 mph.
Against: wet days 17.1 days, days with heavy rain 4.7 days.
June · good
In its favour: average daily high 15.2 °C / 59 °F, precipitation 117 mm / 4.6 in, feels like (high) 13.4 °C / 56 °F, average daily low 8.4 °C / 47 °F, share of daylight that is sunny 54%, daylight per day 17.7 h, days with heavy rain 3.7 days, wind (daily max) 15 km/h / 9 mph.
Against: wet days 17.6 days.
July · good
In its favour: average daily high 16.4 °C / 62 °F, feels like (high) 15.2 °C / 59 °F, average daily low 10 °C / 50 °F, share of daylight that is sunny 53%, daylight per day 17.1 h, precipitation 136 mm / 5.3 in, days with heavy rain 4 days, wind (daily max) 15 km/h / 9 mph.
Against: wet days 19.8 days.
Skiing and snow
Wants cold and snowfall; sunshine barely matters.
- JJanuary: best
- FFebruary: best
- MMarch: good
- AApril: neither
- MMay: neither
- JJune: neither
- JJuly: neither
- AAugust: neither
- SSeptember: neither
- OOctober: neither
- NNovember: neither
- DDecember: best
- Best
- December–February
- Good
- March
Why these months
January · best
In its favour: snowfall 38 cm / 15 in, days with snow 15 days, average daily high 4.4 °C / 40 °F, wind (daily max) 17 km/h / 11 mph, daylight per day 7.6 h.
Against: average daily low 0.3 °C / 33 °F.
February · best
In its favour: snowfall 37 cm / 14.6 in, days with snow 13.8 days, wind (daily max) 18 km/h / 11 mph, daylight per day 9.5 h.
Against: average daily high 5.1 °C / 41 °F, average daily low 0.5 °C / 33 °F.
March · good
In its favour: snowfall 24 cm / 9.5 in, days with snow 11.7 days, wind (daily max) 17 km/h / 11 mph, daylight per day 11.9 h.
Against: average daily high 6.9 °C / 44 °F, average daily low 1.1 °C / 34 °F.
December · best
In its favour: snowfall 28 cm / 10.8 in, days with snow 12.8 days, wind (daily max) 17 km/h / 10 mph, daylight per day 6.9 h.
Against: average daily high 4.9 °C / 41 °F, average daily low 0.7 °C / 33 °F.
An activity is listed only where it applies: skiing at ski destinations, beach and swimming at beach destinations. The nearest ski area is Nevis Range, 9 km away.
Weather averages
Monthly averages over twenty years, 2006–2025. Highs, lows and precipitation are in the chart at the top.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels like (high) | 1 °C | 1.6 °C | 3.3 °C | 6.7 °C | 10.4 °C | 13.4 °C | 15.2 °C | 14.3 °C | 12.1 °C | 8.3 °C | 4.3 °C | 1.7 °C |
| Days with heavy rain | 8.4 days | 7.3 days | 6.1 days | 2.9 days | 4.7 days | 3.7 days | 4 days | 5.8 days | 5.5 days | 6.7 days | 7 days | 8.8 days |
| Time rain usually falls | 5 pm | 4 pm | 4 pm | 5 pm | 5 pm | 5 pm | 6 pm | 5 pm | 4 pm | 4 pm | 3 pm | 3 pm |
| Sunshine per day | 2.4 h | 4.2 h | 6.1 h | 9 h | 9.8 h | 9.6 h | 9 h | 7.9 h | 6.2 h | 4.3 h | 3 h | 1.6 h |
| Relative humidity | 91% | 89% | 85% | 79% | 79% | 81% | 84% | 86% | 87% | 89% | 91% | 92% |
Air quality
Averaged over a shorter period (2022–2025) than the twenty-year averages above, and not counted towards good or best months.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air pollution (PM2.5) 2022–2025 | 3.6 µg/m³ | 4.3 µg/m³ | 4.1 µg/m³ | 4.9 µg/m³ | 6.2 µg/m³ | 6.2 µg/m³ | 4.2 µg/m³ | 5 µg/m³ | 4 µg/m³ | 3.3 µg/m³ | 2.5 µg/m³ | 2.8 µg/m³ |
| Air pollution (PM2.5, daily peak) 2022–2025 | 6.5 µg/m³ | 7.7 µg/m³ | 7.3 µg/m³ | 8.9 µg/m³ | 11.4 µg/m³ | 10.6 µg/m³ | 7.4 µg/m³ | 8.1 µg/m³ | 6.7 µg/m³ | 5.5 µg/m³ | 4.4 µg/m³ | 5.2 µg/m³ |
- Good 15 µg/m³ or less
- Fair 15 to 25 µg/m³
- Moderate 25 to 37.5 µg/m³
- Poor 37.5 to 50 µg/m³
- Very poor 50 to 75 µg/m³
- Extremely poor over 75 µg/m³
Each figure is compared with the World Health Organization's guideline for a day's air, 15 µg/m³ or less, and with its interim targets above that. The words are ours: the WHO does not name its steps. The figures are modelled monthly averages, so single days can be well above them. The daily peak is the average of each day's highest hour, shaded on the same scale.