Birsay Bay (Orkney Islands) weather

Here are our top tips to keep you, your friends and family safe at the beach with links to Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Met Office advice.



Forecast days

Partly cloudy.
Beach safety today
Use caution in the sea. Waves can be bigger or stronger than you expect, strong rips likely, the wind may blow you off course
  • • unsafe for novice surfers
  • • paddle boarding not recommended for beginners/intermediate

Tide: Next low tide (0.8m) at

Sunrise iconSunrise:
Sunset iconSunset:
L UV
L Pollution
No pollen data.

    7 day forecast for Birsay Bay

    Today (17 October 2025)
    Time
    22:00
    23:00
    Weather symbols Partly cloudy night Partly cloudy night
    Chance of precipitation
    20%
    10%
    Temperature
    Feels like temperature (°C)
    Wind direction and speed
    SSE
    9
    SSE
    9
    Wind gust (mph)
    21
    21
    Visibility
    VG
    VG
    Humidity
    87%
    88%
    UV - -
    Wind direction and speed
    9
    9
    Height of waves offshore (m)
    1.0
    1.0
    Period of waves offshore (s)
    9
    9
    Direction of waves offshore
    Saturday (18 October 2025)
    Time
    00:00
    01:00
    02:00
    03:00
    04:00
    05:00
    06:00
    07:00
    08:00
    09:00
    10:00
    11:00
    12:00
    13:00
    14:00
    15:00
    16:00
    17:00
    18:00
    19:00
    20:00
    21:00
    22:00
    23:00
    Weather symbols Partly cloudy night Partly cloudy night Partly cloudy night Partly cloudy night Partly cloudy night Partly cloudy night Clear night Clear night Sunny day Sunny day Sunny day Sunny day Sunny day Sunny day Sunny day Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Partly cloudy night Partly cloudy night Clear night Clear night Clear night Partly cloudy night
    Chance of precipitation
    10%
    10%
    10%
    10%
    10%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    Temperature (°C)
    10°
    11°
    12°
    12°
    12°
    11°
    10°
    Feels like temperature (°C)
    10°
    10°
    10°
    Wind direction and speed (mph)
    SSE
    9
    SSE
    9
    SSE
    8
    SSE
    7
    SSE
    7
    SSE
    6
    SSE
    6
    SSE
    6
    SSE
    5
    SSE
    5
    SSE
    6
    SSE
    8
    SSE
    9
    SSE
    10
    SSE
    11
    SSE
    11
    SSE
    10
    SSE
    8
    SSE
    7
    SSE
    7
    SSE
    7
    SSE
    7
    SSE
    8
    SSE
    9
    Wind gust (mph)
    21
    19
    18
    16
    14
    12
    12
    13
    13
    13
    13
    15
    16
    18
    19
    20
    19
    17
    17
    18
    18
    17
    18
    20
    Visibility (description)
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    G
    G
    G
    Humidity
    91%
    90%
    91%
    91%
    92%
    92%
    92%
    92%
    92%
    92%
    89%
    85%
    79%
    76%
    75%
    75%
    77%
    85%
    86%
    86%
    87%
    88%
    91%
    92%
    UV - - - - - - - 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 - - - - - -
    Wind direction and speed (mph)
    9
    8
    8
    7
    7
    6
    6
    6
    5
    6
    6
    8
    9
    10
    10
    10
    9
    8
    7
    7
    7
    7
    8
    9
    Height of waves offshore (m)
    1.0
    1.0
    1.0
    1.0
    1.0
    1.0
    1.0
    1.0
    1.0
    1.0
    0.9
    0.9
    0.9
    0.9
    0.9
    0.8
    0.8
    0.8
    0.8
    0.9
    0.9
    0.9
    0.9
    0.9
    Period of waves offshore (s)
    9
    9
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    Direction of waves offshore
    Sunday (19 October 2025)
    Time
    00:00
    01:00
    02:00
    03:00
    04:00
    05:00
    06:00
    07:00
    08:00
    09:00
    10:00
    11:00
    12:00
    13:00
    14:00
    15:00
    16:00
    17:00
    18:00
    19:00
    20:00
    21:00
    22:00
    23:00
    Weather symbols Partly cloudy night Partly cloudy night Partly cloudy night Partly cloudy night Partly cloudy night Partly cloudy night Partly cloudy night Partly cloudy night Sunny intervals Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Overcast Overcast Light rain Light rain Light rain Light rain Light rain Light rain Light rain Light rain Light rain Light rain
    Chance of precipitation
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    <5%
    10%
    20%
    30%
    40%
    50%
    60%
    70%
    70%
    70%
    70%
    80%
    90%
    90%
    90%
    90%
    Temperature (°C)
    10°
    10°
    10°
    10°
    10°
    10°
    11°
    11°
    11°
    11°
    12°
    12°
    12°
    12°
    12°
    12°
    12°
    12°
    12°
    12°
    12°
    11°
    11°
    Feels like temperature (°C)
    Wind direction and speed (mph)
    SSE
    10
    SSE
    10
    SSE
    10
    SSE
    11
    SSE
    12
    SSE
    13
    SE
    13
    SE
    14
    SE
    14
    SE
    16
    SE
    17
    SE
    19
    SE
    20
    SE
    20
    SE
    21
    SE
    21
    SE
    21
    SE
    21
    SE
    21
    SE
    20
    SE
    20
    SE
    19
    SE
    18
    SE
    17
    Wind gust (mph)
    22
    23
    25
    25
    25
    27
    29
    31
    33
    35
    36
    38
    39
    40
    41
    40
    39
    39
    38
    35
    33
    30
    26
    21
    Visibility (description)
    G
    G
    G
    G
    G
    G
    G
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    G
    G
    M
    G
    M
    M
    M
    M
    M
    M
    Humidity
    92%
    92%
    92%
    91%
    91%
    91%
    88%
    86%
    86%
    86%
    85%
    85%
    85%
    85%
    87%
    89%
    88%
    91%
    92%
    92%
    93%
    93%
    94%
    94%
    UV - - - - - - - - 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 - - - - - -
    Wind direction and speed (mph)
    9
    10
    10
    11
    12
    13
    13
    14
    15
    16
    17
    19
    20
    20
    20
    20
    20
    20
    21
    20
    19
    18
    17
    16
    Height of waves offshore (m)
    0.8
    0.8
    0.8
    0.8
    0.8
    0.7
    0.8
    0.7
    0.7
    0.7
    0.7
    0.7
    0.7
    0.7
    0.6
    0.6
    0.6
    0.6
    0.6
    0.6
    0.6
    0.6
    0.6
    0.6
    Period of waves offshore (s)
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    Direction of waves offshore
    Monday (20 October 2025)
    Time
    00:00
    01:00
    02:00
    03:00
    04:00
    05:00
    06:00
    07:00
    08:00
    09:00
    10:00
    11:00
    12:00
    13:00
    14:00
    15:00
    16:00
    17:00
    18:00
    19:00
    20:00
    21:00
    22:00
    23:00
    Weather symbols Light rain Light rain Light rain Light rain Light rain Overcast Overcast Overcast Overcast Overcast Overcast Overcast Overcast Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Partly cloudy night Cloudy Cloudy Partly cloudy night Partly cloudy night Partly cloudy night
    Chance of precipitation
    80%
    80%
    60%
    60%
    60%
    50%
    40%
    30%
    30%
    40%
    40%
    40%
    30%
    30%
    30%
    30%
    30%
    30%
    20%
    20%
    20%
    20%
    20%
    20%
    Temperature (°C)
    11°
    11°
    12°
    12°
    11°
    11°
    11°
    11°
    11°
    11°
    12°
    12°
    12°
    13°
    13°
    12°
    12°
    12°
    11°
    11°
    10°
    10°
    10°
    10°
    Feels like temperature (°C)
    10°
    10°
    10°
    10°
    10°
    10°
    11°
    11°
    11°
    11°
    11°
    11°
    10°
    Wind direction and speed (mph)
    SE
    16
    SE
    15
    SE
    14
    SE
    12
    SSE
    11
    SSE
    10
    SSE
    9
    SSE
    8
    SSE
    8
    S
    8
    S
    8
    S
    8
    S
    9
    SSW
    9
    SSW
    9
    SSW
    9
    S
    8
    S
    8
    SSE
    8
    SSE
    8
    SE
    8
    SSE
    8
    SSE
    9
    SSE
    9
    Wind gust (mph)
    17
    17
    15
    13
    11
    11
    11
    11
    11
    10
    11
    11
    11
    11
    10
    10
    10
    9
    9
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    Visibility (description)
    M
    G
    G
    G
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    E
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    Humidity
    95%
    96%
    96%
    97%
    97%
    98%
    98%
    98%
    97%
    97%
    96%
    94%
    94%
    92%
    90%
    89%
    90%
    94%
    95%
    95%
    95%
    95%
    95%
    95%
    UV - - - - - - - - 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 - - - - - -
    Wind direction and speed (mph)
    15
    14
    13
    12
    11
    9
    9
    8
    8
    8
    8
    9
    9
    9
    9
    9
    8
    8
    8
    8
    8
    8
    8
    9
    Height of waves offshore (m)
    0.6
    0.6
    0.7
    0.7
    0.6
    0.6
    0.6
    0.6
    0.6
    0.6
    0.6
    0.6
    0.6
    0.6
    0.6
    0.7
    0.7
    0.8
    0.8
    0.8
    0.8
    0.9
    0.9
    0.9
    Period of waves offshore (s)
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    11
    12
    12
    12
    12
    11
    9
    10
    10
    11
    11
    11
    10
    10
    10
    10
    Direction of waves offshore
    Tuesday (21 October 2025)
    Time
    00:00
    01:00
    02:00
    03:00
    04:00
    05:00
    06:00
    07:00
    08:00
    09:00
    10:00
    11:00
    12:00
    13:00
    14:00
    15:00
    16:00
    17:00
    18:00
    19:00
    20:00
    21:00
    22:00
    23:00
    Weather symbols Partly cloudy night Cloudy Partly cloudy night Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Light shower day Light shower day Light shower day Light shower day Light shower day Cloudy Light shower night Light shower night Light shower night Light shower night Cloudy
    Chance of precipitation
    30%
    30%
    40%
    40%
    40%
    40%
    40%
    40%
    40%
    40%
    40%
    40%
    50%
    50%
    50%
    50%
    60%
    60%
    50%
    50%
    50%
    50%
    50%
    50%
    Temperature (°C)
    10°
    10°
    10°
    10°
    10°
    10°
    10°
    10°
    10°
    10°
    10°
    11°
    11°
    11°
    11°
    11°
    11°
    11°
    10°
    10°
    10°
    10°
    10°
    Feels like temperature (°C)
    Wind direction and speed (mph)
    SE
    9
    SE
    9
    SE
    9
    SE
    9
    ESE
    9
    ESE
    9
    ENE
    10
    N
    9
    SE
    10
    SE
    10
    NW
    11
    NW
    12
    WNW
    13
    WNW
    14
    WNW
    15
    W
    16
    W
    17
    W
    17
    W
    18
    W
    18
    W
    18
    W
    18
    W
    18
    W
    18
    Wind gust (mph)
    10
    10
    11
    10
    9
    10
    11
    9
    11
    11
    13
    13
    14
    16
    17
    17
    18
    19
    19
    20
    21
    22
    24
    24
    Visibility (description)
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    E
    E
    E
    E
    E
    E
    E
    E
    E
    E
    E
    E
    E
    Humidity
    96%
    96%
    96%
    96%
    96%
    96%
    96%
    96%
    95%
    94%
    93%
    89%
    88%
    86%
    85%
    89%
    90%
    87%
    89%
    87%
    84%
    82%
    82%
    82%
    UV - - - - - - - - 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 - - - - - -
    Wind direction and speed (mph)
    8
    8
    9
    9
    9
    9
    9
    9
    11
    11
    11
    12
    13
    14
    15
    15
    16
    17
    17
    17
    18
    18
    17
    17
    Height of waves offshore (m)
    0.9
    0.9
    0.9
    0.9
    1.0
    1.0
    1.1
    1.2
    1.3
    1.5
    1.7
    1.9
    2.1
    1.0
    1.0
    1.0
    1.1
    1.1
    1.1
    1.2
    1.2
    1.3
    1.4
    1.4
    Period of waves offshore (s)
    9
    9
    9
    9
    9
    9
    9
    9
    9
    9
    9
    9
    9
    10
    10
    10
    10
    10
    11
    11
    11
    11
    11
    9
    Direction of waves offshore
    Wednesday (22 October 2025)
    Time
    00:00
    01:00
    04:00
    07:00
    10:00
    13:00
    16:00
    19:00
    22:00
    Weather symbols Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Overcast Overcast Overcast Overcast Overcast
    Chance of precipitation
    50%
    40%
    40%
    30%
    30%
    30%
    30%
    30%
    30%
    Temperature (°C)
    10°
    10°
    10°
    Feels like temperature (°C)
    Wind direction and speed (mph)
    W
    18
    W
    18
    WSW
    16
    SW
    15
    SSW
    15
    S
    15
    SSE
    14
    SSE
    14
    ESE
    16
    Wind gust (mph)
    24
    23
    21
    21
    21
    21
    19
    17
    18
    Visibility (description)
    E
    E
    E
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    VG
    G
    Humidity
    83%
    81%
    82%
    81%
    77%
    72%
    72%
    79%
    79%
    UV - - - - 1 1 1 - -
    Wind direction and speed (mph)
    17
    17
    16
    16
    15
    15
    15
    14
    14
    Height of waves offshore (m)
    1.5
    1.6
    2.0
    2.4
    2.4
    3.6
    3.5
    3.4
    3.4
    Period of waves offshore (s)
    9
    9
    10
    10
    11
    10
    10
    11
    11
    Direction of waves offshore
    Thursday (23 October 2025)
    Time
    01:00
    04:00
    07:00
    10:00
    13:00
    16:00
    19:00
    22:00
    Weather symbols Overcast Light rain Light rain Light rain Light rain Light rain Light shower night Light shower night
    Chance of precipitation
    40%
    50%
    60%
    60%
    70%
    70%
    70%
    70%
    Temperature (°C)
    10°
    Feels like temperature (°C)
    Wind direction and speed (mph)
    NE
    16
    NE
    18
    NE
    20
    NNE
    21
    NNE
    22
    NNE
    22
    NNE
    22
    N
    23
    Wind gust (mph)
    21
    22
    28
    27
    28
    32
    28
    28
    Visibility (description)
    G
    G
    G
    G
    G
    G
    G
    G
    Humidity
    83%
    84%
    85%
    84%
    82%
    83%
    83%
    83%
    UV - - - 1 1 1 - -
    Wind direction and speed (mph)
    14
    Height of waves offshore (m)
    3.3
    Period of waves offshore (s)
    11
    Direction of waves offshore

    Tide times

    Friday 17 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Friday 17 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Friday 17 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Friday 17 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Saturday 18 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Saturday 18 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Saturday 18 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Saturday 18 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Sunday 19 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Sunday 19 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Sunday 19 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Sunday 19 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Monday 20 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Monday 20 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Monday 20 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Monday 20 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Tuesday 21 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Tuesday 21 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Tuesday 21 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Tuesday 21 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Wednesday 22 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Wednesday 22 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Wednesday 22 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Wednesday 22 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Thursday 23 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Thursday 23 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Thursday 23 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

    Tide times

    Thursday 23 October

    Tide times and heights are from Tingwall tidal station which is 10.0 miles away. So times may be different at this beach. What does this mean?

    Contains ADMIRALTY® tidal data: © Crown Copyright and database right.

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    Orkney & Shetland weather forecast

    Headline:

    Chance of showers across Shetland on Saturday, otherwise dry.

    This Evening and Tonight:

    It will be a mainly dry evening and night with variable amounts of cloud. Chance of one or two light showers across Shetland. Light southerly winds. Minimum temperature 5 °C.

    Saturday:

    Orkney will be dry with some bright or sunny intervals. Shetland will be cloudy at times with the chance of a few light showers, these mainly in the morning. Maximum temperature 12 °C.

    Outlook for Sunday to Tuesday:

    Wind and rain will spread northeast on Sunday afternoon and evening, lingering across Shetland into Monday. Otherwise rather cloudy with the chance of showers.

    Updated:

    UK long range weather forecast

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