Is it raining now in St Martin's, Isles of Scilly?
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Last update: 21:00, 5 Oct 2026
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Rain in St Martin's, Isles of Scilly: What You Need to Know
St Martin's is one of the five inhabited Isles of Scilly, a narrow island of white sand beaches and small fields off the Cornish coast with no cars and few roads. Atlantic weather reaches the island with nothing to slow it, so a shower can cross the whole island in minutes. A St Martin's, Isles of Scilly rain radar makes the difference here, since hyperlocal radar reads the storm cell directly instead of relying on an area-wide guess.
St Martin's sits fully exposed to the open Atlantic, so a shower arrives with almost no warning and can clear the island's short length just as fast. Devon and Cornwall are the first landfall for Atlantic weather systems, so fronts arrive here with their full moisture load. Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor then force the air upward, and orographic lift produces heavy rain on the moors while parts of the coast stay light.
On the RainViewer map for St Martin's, Isles of Scilly, England, Met Office radar shows precipitation as it falls, with a 5-minute radar update and street-level radar detail. The live map gives a hyperlocal view of whether a shower is still out over open water or already crossing the island, which a forecast for St Martin's cannot tell you.
Rain by Season in St Martin's, Isles of Scilly
Autumn and winter storm season (September to January)
Autumn and winter Atlantic storms bring the roughest seas and the heaviest rain to St Martin's and the boat crossings that serve it. Atlantic storms reach the peninsula before anywhere else, and named storms bring heavy rain and gales to the coastline. Flooding hits river-valley roads and moorland lanes quickly, and ferries and harbour work feel the effects first.
Transition months (February to April)
Showers come in fast off the sea between the last winter fronts and the first settled spells. Forecasts miss the timing because the cells are small, and coastal walks and moorland routes are the plans most often caught out. Spring showers cross the island quickly, and the beach at Higher Town Bay is the first place to empty.
Summer season (May to August)
Rain grows lighter and less frequent, though warm afternoons can still build sea-breeze storms over the moors. Holiday traffic, beach days and harbour events all rely on short dry windows, with the radar picking up a storm cell before it reaches the coast. Summer visitors on the beaches and the quay depend on short dry windows between showers off the Atlantic.
Why You Need a Rain Radar in St Martin's, Isles of Scilly
Higher Town Bay beach visitors
The white sand beach at Higher Town Bay has no shelter at all once a shower moves in off the sea. Visitors watch the radar to time a walk down to the water around the next gap.
Boat passengers to and from St Martin's
Passengers waiting on the quay for the launch to St Mary's or the mainland have little cover on the open jetty. Checking the radar before walking down shows whether the crossing will start dry.
St Martin's Vineyard and farm visitors
The vineyard and the small fields that cross the island's spine are fully exposed, with paths that have no shelter along the way. A look at the radar shows whether the shower is still out at sea or already over the island.
Walkers on the coastal path to Lower Town
The narrow coastal path linking Higher Town, Middle Town and Lower Town runs along open cliffs and dunes. Watching the cell approach helps decide whether to keep walking or turn back.
RainViewer Radar Coverage in St Martin's, Isles of Scilly
RainViewer shows UK precipitation using data from the Met Office, the national weather service, which runs a network of C-band dual-polarization weather radars. The Met Office network also feeds the European OPERA composite, and the RainViewer map refreshes with each new scan, about every 5 minutes. From St Martin's, Isles of Scilly the map also covers St Mary's, Tresco and Bryher.
St Martin's, Isles of Scilly Rain Radar: Frequently Asked Questions
- How does rain affect the beaches on St Martin's?
Higher Town Bay and the island's other beaches have no shelter of any kind, so a shower moving in off the Atlantic can empty a beach within a minute or two. Visitors and boat crews both watch the sky closely. RainViewer shows the hyperlocal picture of a shower crossing the open water before it reaches the island.
- Does rain affect the boat crossings to St Martin's?
Yes, heavy rain and the wind that often comes with it can make the open launch crossing to St Mary's or the mainland uncomfortable and occasionally delay departure. Checking the radar before walking to the quay shows whether the shower is ahead of you or already past.
- Does St Martin's flood when it rains?
Rarely to any serious degree, since the island's sandy soil and low dunes drain quickly after even heavy rain. A few low paths near Higher Town can hold puddles briefly. The radar shows whether more rain is still crossing the open Atlantic behind the first shower.
- When is the best time to visit St Martin's to avoid rain?
May to September is the best window to visit St Martin's, when the beaches, the coastal path and the vineyard are at their most pleasant. Atlantic showers are shorter in summer but still arrive with almost no warning. Check the radar before the boat crossing and plan the beach time around the gap.
- Why can it rain on Higher Town Bay while Lower Town stays dry around St Martin's, Isles of Scilly?
A shower moving in from the open Atlantic reaches Higher Town Bay first, while Lower Town at the sheltered end of the island can stay dry a little longer until the same shower crosses the narrow island. RainViewer draws each shower where it actually is, which is why a look at Higher Town Bay and Lower Town can give different answers.
- Does the St Martin's, Isles of Scilly radar map work when I'm offline?
The St Martin's, Isles of Scilly radar map needs a connection to pull the latest Met Office scan, refreshed roughly every 5 minutes, so it is not built for offline use. C-band radar from the Met Office monitors the far south-west, with dual-polarization data separating rain from hail on the coast, where conditions are most exposed. That live, hyperlocal feed is only as current as the last successful update.
- What can I do with RainViewer on St Martin's beyond checking current rain?
Set a rain alert on Higher Town Bay or the quay and RainViewer warns you before rain arrives, which settles whether to start the beach walk now or wait for the boat under cover. The 2-hour forecast in 5-minute slices shows the next gap, and saved locations track the vineyard and the coastal path together.
Track Rain in St Martin's, Isles of Scilly in Real Time
A walk to Higher Town Bay and a wait for the boat both depend on a dry gap, and RainViewer shows the next one.
Rain in St Martin's, Isles of Scilly arrives off the Atlantic in quick bands, and the gap between two of them is the useful part.
Your weather app says showers on St Martin's this afternoon. RainViewer's live hyperlocal radar shows the shower still out over open water with Higher Town Bay dry, which decides whether the beach walk starts now.
Track rain in St Martin's, Isles of Scilly — free Upgrade to Essential for alerts, forecasts, and full radar history
2-hour forecast in 5-minute slices
Slice the next two hours into 5-minute steps and pick the gap for the walk to Higher Town Bay.
Rain alerts before arrival
An alert on the quay arrives while the rain is still on its way, and that decides whether to start the beach walk now or wait for the boat under cover.
Direction arrows on the map
In St Martin's, Isles of Scilly the wet weather tends to come from the south-west, straight off the Atlantic, and the arrows show the track of every shower.
48 hours of radar history
Scroll back over the open Atlantic to the west to see what actually fell overnight.
Multiple locations
Track Higher Town Bay, the quay and the coastal path together and compare which one is dry.
RainViewer
