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RAIN IN SCOTLAND Monthly rainfall The amazing truth

Horizontal dew, mist like bullets, flying trees. Don’t believe all you hear about Rain in Scotland. Look at our blog site Travellers Tales from the Highlands of Scotland for real holiday stories of  the rain in the Scottish Highlands.

In some respects the weather and rain in Scotland is better than in England. The East Coast of Scotland has only 16% more days of rain a year than the driest place in England. Yes, the driest place in England. There are far fewer thunderstorms in Scotland than in England. Yes, far fewer

It is not true that it rains all the time, everywhere, in Scotland. Rainfall in Scotland varies widely. The West Coast has a rainfall similar to North Wales

(3,000 mm 118 inches 10 feet) and the East Coast rainfall is similar to Birmingham (800m 2.6 feet)

2 days out of 3 it rains somewhere in the West even if for a few minutes, and in the East it rains at some place on 175 days a year. But the driest place in England, the Thames Estuary, also has 150 days of rain.

Thunderstorms are fewer than in England occurring on only 3 to 4 days a year compared to 9 to 15 for England. You are much less likely to be struck by lightning on a Scottish golf course.

Dunbar, just to the South and East of Edinburgh, famous in Scottish history, is the driest and sunniest town in Scotland, and Banff in the North comes a close

second. But it can vary a lot. When Scotland was suffering torrential rains recently, Kirkwall in the Orkneys was the driest place.

Greenock near Glasgow is the wettest large town in Scotland with an average rainfall of  64 inches. High in the mountains of  Glencoe the rain can total 15 feet

a year, similar to the tropics, yet on the Western side of the mountains the rainfall is far far lower and a micro climate exists. Wind and rain there are a magnet for the tourists, around the waterfalls and rivers, and for the kayakers on the River Etive

who love it.

Rainfall in Scotland in mm. East versus West comparisons

This is a 30 year average. Left hand column is Glasgow and right hand column is Aberdeen.

Fun in the Rain, River Etive, Glencoe

January rain in Scotland, February rain in Scotland, March rain in Scotland, April rain in Scotland, May rain in Scotland, June rain in Scotland, July rain in Scotland, August rain in Scotland, September rain in Scotland, October rain in Scotland, November rain in Scotland, December rain in Scotland