Scotland West Climate
City Coverage: Glasgow, Stirling, Ayr, Greenock, and Paisley
This month in numbers
Scotland West experienced a significantly warmer-than-average spring, with the March–May 2026 mean temperature ranking as the 10th warmest on record at 7.93°C, a notable 1.5°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. May 2026 itself was also considerably warmer, ranking 29th warmest with a mean temperature of 10.3°C, 1.3°C above average. Sunshine for the spring period was also well above average, ranking 13th sunniest with 485 hours, 73 hours more than the baseline.
What changed
This warmer spring trend for Scotland West aligns with a broader national picture, as the UK experienced its third warmest spring on record, and Scotland as a whole saw its eighth warmest spring. While England and Wales recorded their warmest spring on record, Scotland West's rainfall for March–May was above average at 359.5 mm, contrasting with the UK's overall below-average spring rainfall. The region also saw fewer frost days than average over the three-month period, with 13 days, which is 7 fewer than the baseline.
What’s driving change?
The warmer conditions observed in Scotland West are part of a wider pattern of , with spring arriving earlier and temperatures generally increasing. The global land temperature for February–April 2026 ranked as the 2nd warmest on record, indicating a significant global warming trend. Looking ahead, the NOAA CPC forecast indicates a strong likelihood of El Niño developing, with an 82% chance for May–Jul and increasing to 98% by August–October. Historically, El Niño events have shown a tendency for cooler late winters in Northern Europe, including the UK, though very strong events have sometimes led to warmer winters.
Looking ahead
The Met Office long-range forecast for the UK suggests a changeable start to June with Atlantic frontal systems bringing showers, particularly to the northwest, followed by more settled conditions and above-normal temperatures towards the end of June and into early July.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
Loading climate data...
Data Sources
Data Sources for Scotland West
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Scotland West changing?
Scotland West is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Scotland West come from?
Climate data for Scotland West comes from the UK Met Office HadUK-Grid (temperature, rainfall, sunshine, air frost), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Scotland West climate data cover?
The Scotland West climate profile covers Glasgow, Stirling, Ayr, Greenock and surrounding areas. Western Scotland climate data centred on Glasgow and the Clyde
How often is the Scotland West climate update refreshed?
The Scotland West climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.