Sea · Scotland · United Kingdom
Reef, Lewis
Best for kiting in June and from August to October, with 56 to 72 % kite days. Water 12 to 14 °C. Also windy, but cold (water and air under 12 °C or short days): November to May.
A kite day has at least 3 hours of 12 to 35 knots (gusts up to 45) between 10:00 and 19:00, in daylight. Percentages are the share of such days in each month, counted over 9 years.
- Prime 60 % and more
- Good 40 to 59 %
- Possible 20 to 39 %
- Off under 20 %
- No data hatched
- Ringed: this month
Prime also needs a good month in at least 7 of the 9 years, so one freak year cannot make a month Prime. A month with 60 %+ but fewer good years shows as Good.
Confidence highHourly model data, 2017 to 2025, checked against the season shape of a nearby weather station, a regional model or a documented season.
Month by month
- Kite days
- 72 % Primeabout 22 of 31 days
- Too light, kiteable, too strong
- Too light 28 %
- Kiteable 72 %
- Too strong 0 %
- Good years
- 9 of 9 years reached 50 % kite days
- 10 day trip
- 9 in 10 trips got at least 5 kite days, about 7.1 expected
- Best hours
- 10:00 to 17:00when the wind is most often 12 to 35 knots
- Daylight
- 10.3 h
- Water
- 13 °C, 6/5 with boots and gloves
- Air
- 12 °Cdaily maximum, 11 °C during kite hours
- Rain
- 23 of 31with 1 mm or more
- In one sentence
In October, Reef, Lewis averaged 22 kite days out of 31 (72 %). Water 13 °C, 6/5 with boots and gloves. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.
| Kite days% of days | 69 | 76 | 66 | 56 | 52 | 59 | 45 | 56 | 63 | 72 | 63 | 60 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verdictshare plus good years | cold | cold | cold | cold | cold | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | cold | cold |
| 10 day tripof 10 trips, 5+ kite days | 9 in 10 | 9 in 10 | 9 in 10 | 6 in 10 | 6 in 10 | 7 in 10 | 5 in 10 | 7 in 10 | 8 in 10 | 9 in 10 | 8 in 10 | 8 in 10 |
| Good yearsof 9, reached 50 % | 7 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 8 of 9 | 6 of 9 | 6 of 9 | 6 of 9 | 3 of 9 | 5 of 9 | 8 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 7 of 9 | 8 of 9 |
| Best hourshour of day, most often 12 to 35 kn | 10 to 15 | 10 to 16 | 10 to 18 | 10 to 19 | 11 to 19 | 10 to 19 | 10 to 19 | 10 to 19 | 10 to 18 | 10 to 17 | 10 to 15 | 10 to 15 |
| Daylighth | 7.2 | 9.3 | 11.8 | 14.4 | 16.7 | 18.1 | 17.5 | 15.4 | 12.9 | 10.3 | 8.0 | 6.6 |
| Water°C at the surface | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 10 |
| Air°C, daily maximum | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain days1 mm or more | 24 of 31 | 20 of 28 | 19 of 31 | 15 of 30 | 15 of 31 | 17 of 30 | 18 of 31 | 20 of 31 | 21 of 30 | 23 of 31 | 22 of 30 | 23 of 31 |
| Wetsuitfor that water and the air on kite days, + boots and gloves | 6/5+ | 6/5+ | 6/5+ | 6/5+ | 6/5+ | 6/5+ | 4/3 | 4/3 | 5/4 | 6/5+ | 6/5+ | 6/5+ |
- In January, Reef, Lewis averaged 22 kite days out of 31 (69 %). Water 9 °C, 6/5 with boots and gloves. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in January got at least 5 kite days.
- In February, Reef, Lewis averaged 21 kite days out of 28 (76 %). Water 9 °C, 6/5 with boots and gloves. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in February got at least 5 kite days.
- In March, Reef, Lewis averaged 21 kite days out of 31 (66 %). Water 8 °C, 6/5 with boots and gloves. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in March got at least 5 kite days.
- In April, Reef, Lewis averaged 17 kite days out of 30 (56 %). Water 9 °C, 6/5 with boots and gloves. 6 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in April got at least 5 kite days.
- In May, Reef, Lewis averaged 16 kite days out of 31 (52 %). Water 11 °C, 6/5 with boots and gloves. 6 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in May got at least 5 kite days.
- In June, Reef, Lewis averaged 18 kite days out of 30 (59 %). Water 12 °C, 6/5 with boots and gloves. 7 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in June got at least 5 kite days.
- In July, Reef, Lewis averaged 14 kite days out of 31 (45 %). Water 14 °C, 4/3. 5 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in July got at least 5 kite days.
- In August, Reef, Lewis averaged 17 kite days out of 31 (56 %). Water 14 °C, 4/3. 7 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in August got at least 5 kite days.
- In September, Reef, Lewis averaged 19 kite days out of 30 (63 %). Water 14 °C, 5/4. 8 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in September got at least 5 kite days.
- In October, Reef, Lewis averaged 22 kite days out of 31 (72 %). Water 13 °C, 6/5 with boots and gloves. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.
- In November, Reef, Lewis averaged 19 kite days out of 30 (63 %). Water 11 °C, 6/5 with boots and gloves. 8 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in November got at least 5 kite days.
- In December, Reef, Lewis averaged 19 kite days out of 31 (60 %). Water 10 °C, 6/5 with boots and gloves. 8 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in December got at least 5 kite days.
Good year: at least half the days of that month were kite days. x in 10 reads: of all 10 day trips that started in that month between 2017 and 2025, x in 10 got at least 5 kite days. We cap the figure at 9 in 10 because wind is never a promise. Best hours: the hours from 10:00 on when the wind most often reaches 12 to 35 knots. Rain day: 1 mm or more of rain.
Source: ECMWF IFS 9 km via Open-Meteo, hourly model wind, 2017 to 2025; water temperature 2023 to 2025. How we count kite days and trip odds
Trip odds at Reef, Lewis
How often a trip of your length got at least half its days with kite wind, 2017 to 2025, capped at 9 in 10.
- January9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 7.3 expected
- February9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 7.3 expected
- March9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.8 expected
- April6 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.2 expected
- May6 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.3 expected
- June7 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.8 expected
- July5 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.7 expected
- August7 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.4 expected
- September8 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.6 expected
- October (now)9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 7.1 expected
- November8 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.2 expected
- December8 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.1 expected
x in 10 reads: of all 10 day trips that started in that month between 2017 and 2025, x in 10 got at least 5 kite days. We cap the figure at 9 in 10 because wind is never a promise.
Trip odds by start week
Pick your start week and trip length. Each cell: of all trips of that length that started in that week between 2017 and 2025, how many in 10 got at least half their days with kite wind.
Trip odds by start week, 10 day trips, 2017 to 2025
- 8
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 8
- 9
- 9
- 8
- 8
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 7
- 6
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 7
- 6
- 5
- 7
- 7
- 8
- 7
- 7
- 4
- 5
- 4
- 6
- 7
- 7
- 7
- 7
- 7
- 9
- 7
- 7
- 9
- 9
- 7
- 9
- 9
- 8
- 7
- 7
- 9
- 8
- 8
- 8
- 7
- 9
Colours as in the kite year: 6 in 10 and more like Prime · 4 to 5 in 10 like Good · 2 to 3 in 10 like Possible · under 2 in 10 like Off · No data hatched (fewer than 30 trips) · Ringed: this week · Raised: your start week
x in 10 reads: of all 10 day trips that started in that week between 2017 and 2025, x in 10 got at least 5 kite days. We cap the figure at 9 in 10 because wind is never a promise.
Source: hourly wind from the ECMWF IFS model via Open-Meteo, 2017 to 2025, kiteCOMPASS method v1. How we count
7 in 10
trips of 10 days starting in week 45 (e.g. 5 to 11 November) got at least 5 kite days in 2017 to 2025 (63 trips).
Zero wind trips: fewer than 1 in 20
about 5.8 kite days expected out of 10
Kite days per trip, 63 trips
Bars right of the line are good trips (5 kite days or more).
How the wind behaves
In February, the windiest month
- Too light 23 %
- Kiteable 76 %
- Too strong 1 %
Too light on 23 %, kiteable on 76 %, too strong on 1 % of days.
Best hours: 10:00 to 16:00, when the wind is most often 12 to 35 knots.
Share of kite days by wind direction, 16 sectors
Wind mostly from SSW (203°), fairly steady direction.
Kitesurfing at Reef, Lewis: quick answers
When is the best time to kitesurf at Reef, Lewis?
The best months are June and August to October: from 2017 to 2025, 56 to 72 % of days in those months were kite days.
Is Reef, Lewis windy in October?
Yes, very. 72 % of days in October were kite days from 2017 to 2025, about 22 days in a typical October. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days, 2017 to 2025.
What is the water temperature at Reef, Lewis?
The water ranges from 8 °C in March to 14 °C in July. In October it is about 13 °C (wetsuit: 6/5 with boots and gloves).
How many kite days does Reef, Lewis get in a year?
About 224 days a year were kite days from 2017 to 2025, out of 365. A kite day has at least 3 hours of 12 to 35 kn model wind between 10:00 and 19:00 in daylight, with gusts up to 45 kn.
Live forecast
The numbers above are long term averages. The forecast shows the next days.
Live forecast from Windy
The forecast map for Reef, Lewis comes from windy.com (Windyty SE, Prague, Czech Republic) and opens right here on this page. Once you load it, your browser contacts Windy, which receives your IP address and may set its own cookies. Nothing is loaded before you click.
Spot facts
- Region
- Scotland
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Water body
- Sea, from Natural Earth map data
- Nearest airport
- Stornoway Airport (SYY), 36 km straight line. Flights are not sold here; this is for planning only.
- Time zone
- UTC+01:00 in October
- Coordinates
- 58.2173, -6.9367
- Model
- ECMWF IFS 9 km via Open-Meteo, hourly
Conditions, checked against kite guides
Water state, flat areas, waves and whether schools teach here, from kite sources, not from satellite images.
Not yet checked against kite guides. We research spot conditions one by one and show only what a kite source says.
Nearby kite spots in Scotland
Kite days in October, % of days
- Uig Bay, Lewis
United Kingdom · 4 points more kite days than Reef, Lewis in October
76 %Kite days by month at Uig Bay, Lewis: Jan 74 %, Feb 80 %, Mar 70 %, Apr 62 %, May 61 %, Jun 65 %, Jul 49 %, Aug 62 %, Sep 72 %, Oct 76 %, Nov 70 %, Dec 64 % - Barvas, Lewis
United Kingdom · 6 points fewer kite days than Reef, Lewis in October
66 %Kite days by month at Barvas, Lewis: Jan 60 %, Feb 71 %, Mar 58 %, Apr 53 %, May 47 %, Jun 51 %, Jul 39 %, Aug 49 %, Sep 58 %, Oct 66 %, Nov 56 %, Dec 50 % - Coll Sands, Lewis
United Kingdom · 1 point fewer kite days than Reef, Lewis in October
71 %Kite days by month at Coll Sands, Lewis: Jan 63 %, Feb 78 %, Mar 67 %, Apr 56 %, May 49 %, Jun 56 %, Jul 44 %, Aug 51 %, Sep 61 %, Oct 71 %, Nov 65 %, Dec 60 % - Eoropaidh
United Kingdom · 8 points more kite days than Reef, Lewis in October
80 %Kite days by month at Eoropaidh: Jan 77 %, Feb 83 %, Mar 77 %, Apr 69 %, May 61 %, Jun 65 %, Jul 59 %, Aug 64 %, Sep 75 %, Oct 80 %, Nov 76 %, Dec 75 % - Sollas, North Uist
United Kingdom · 3 points more kite days than Reef, Lewis in October
75 %Kite days by month at Sollas, North Uist: Jan 75 %, Feb 83 %, Mar 70 %, Apr 64 %, May 58 %, Jun 62 %, Jul 52 %, Aug 59 %, Sep 73 %, Oct 75 %, Nov 71 %, Dec 67 % - Hosta Beach
United Kingdom · 9 points more kite days than Reef, Lewis in October
81 %Kite days by month at Hosta Beach: Jan 79 %, Feb 82 %, Mar 76 %, Apr 69 %, May 63 %, Jun 69 %, Jul 60 %, Aug 66 %, Sep 79 %, Oct 81 %, Nov 76 %, Dec 71 % - Baleshare, North Uist
United Kingdom · 9 points more kite days than Reef, Lewis in October
81 %Kite days by month at Baleshare, North Uist: Jan 77 %, Feb 82 %, Mar 77 %, Apr 70 %, May 62 %, Jun 67 %, Jul 62 %, Aug 68 %, Sep 77 %, Oct 81 %, Nov 74 %, Dec 70 % - Claigan Coral Beach
United Kingdom · same kite days as Reef, Lewis in October
72 %Kite days by month at Claigan Coral Beach: Jan 67 %, Feb 76 %, Mar 66 %, Apr 57 %, May 53 %, Jun 56 %, Jul 45 %, Aug 57 %, Sep 68 %, Oct 72 %, Nov 66 %, Dec 61 %
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kiteCOMPASS · method k3h-10to19-v1 · 2017 to 2025
Model wind: ECMWF IFS 9 km via Open-Meteo, hourly, 2017 to 2025. Water temperature: 2023 to 2025. Kite day: at least 3 hours of 12 to 35 kn model wind between 10:00 and 19:00 in daylight, with gusts up to 45 kn. Confidence: high.
Cite this
In October, 72 % of days at Reef, Lewis met the kiteCOMPASS kite day rule: at least 3 hours of 12 to 35 kn model wind between 10:00 and 19:00 in daylight, with gusts up to 45 kn (ECMWF IFS 9 km via Open-Meteo, hourly, 2017 to 2025). https://kitecompass.app/spot/reef-lewis
Numbers on this page are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: name kiteCOMPASS and link to this page.