Few UK towns have cooler summers than Peterhead
January mornings start at about 1.5°C (35°F). October is the wettest month, April the driest. Only about 26 nights a year bring a frost, fewer than in 89% of UK towns. Central heating does most of its work from October to May, in months below 10°C on average.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Peterhead at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Peterhead feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 813 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and April the driest. About 18 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 18th wettest of 23 Aberdeenshire towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
26 air frosts and under 1 days of 25°C a year
On about 26 nights a year the air drops below freezing; days that stay below freezing are rare. About under 1 days a year reach 25°C (77°F).
Day counts are 1991–2020 averages from the Met Office’s 2 km grid. The Met Office calls a day of 25°C or more a summer day and a night below 0°C an air frost; ground frosts, on grass, come more often.
The Met Office station at Braemar
Braemar is 69 miles south-west of Peterhead, 339 m (1,112 ft) above sea level. It is the nearest of the 37 long-running stations the Met Office publishes in full; at that distance read it for sunshine and the station’s own record, not as the town’s figures.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Air frosts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.8°C | −1.2°C | 100 mm | 17.3 |
| February | 5.2°C | −1.1°C | 72 mm | 16.7 |
| March | 7.2°C | −0.2°C | 66 mm | 15.3 |
| April | 10.1°C | 1.4°C | 59 mm | 10.3 |
| May | 13.7°C | 3.7°C | 59 mm | 5.4 |
| June | 16.0°C | 7.0°C | 59 mm | 0.6 |
| July | 18.0°C | 8.8°C | 71 mm | 0.0 |
| August | 17.4°C | 8.4°C | 71 mm | 0.3 |
| September | 15.0°C | 6.5°C | 68 mm | 1.4 |
| October | 10.9°C | 3.8°C | 105 mm | 5.7 |
| November | 7.4°C | 0.9°C | 103 mm | 11.0 |
| December | 5.0°C | −1.3°C | 94 mm | 17.0 |
| Year | 10.9°C | 3.1°C | 927 mm | 101 |
Met Office historic station data, Braemar, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Campbell-Stokes recorder.
How Peterhead compares
Against the 2,537 towns and cities of 2,500 or more across the UK, each with its own Met Office averages, and its place among Aberdeenshire towns that size.
Nearby towns’ climate
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles: a hill, a valley or the sea can make a real difference over a few miles.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peterhead | 17.3°C | 1.5°C | 813 mm |
| Mintlaw 7.6 mi | 17.6°C about the same | 0.6°C 1.0°C colder | 899 mm |
Peterhead weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, for the town itself (the Met Office’s HadUK-Grid).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7.3°C 45°F | 1.5°C 35°F | 4.3°C | 66 mm 2.6 in |
| February | 6.8°C 44°F | 1.3°C 34°F | 4.3°C | 61 mm 2.4 in |
| March | 8.6°C 47°F | 1.9°C 35°F | 5.4°C | 56 mm 2.2 in |
| April | 10.6°C 51°F | 3.2°C 38°F | 7.0°C | 47 mm 1.9 in |
| May | 13.2°C 56°F | 5.2°C 41°F | 9.3°C | 51 mm 2.0 in |
| June | 15.5°C 60°F | 8.0°C 46°F | 11.8°C | 62 mm 2.4 in |
| July | 17.3°C 63°F | 9.9°C 50°F | 13.8°C | 66 mm 2.6 in |
| August | 17.6°C 64°F | 10.0°C 50°F | 13.9°C | 68 mm 2.7 in |
| September | 15.5°C 60°F | 8.6°C 48°F | 12.2°C | 67 mm 2.6 in |
| October | 12.8°C 55°F | 6.2°C 43°F | 9.5°C | 102 mm 4.0 in |
| November | 9.7°C 49°F | 3.5°C 38°F | 6.5°C | 89 mm 3.5 in |
| December | 7.3°C 45°F | 1.4°C 34°F | 4.3°C | 80 mm 3.1 in |
| Year | 11.8°C | 5.1°C | 8.5°C | 813 mm |
Where Peterhead’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 2 Met Office 2 km grid squares whose centre lies inside Peterhead’s locality.
- Highs and lows: the Met Office publishes average daily maxima and minima on its 12 km grid; each is moved by the difference between the town’s 2 km mean temperature and the 12 km square’s, which carries the town’s own height and setting over.
- Weather station and sunshine: Met Office historic station data for Braemar, 69 miles away, months of 1991–2020 averaged.
- Comparisons: every town and city of 2,500 or more across the UK, all four nations, read the same way.
Met Office HadUK-Grid · Met Office Climate Data Portal · Historic station data. Open Government Licence v3.0.
Questions about Peterhead’s climate
How warm does Peterhead get in summer?
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 17.6°C (64°F). About under 1 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than almost every UK town.
How cold does Peterhead get in winter?
February nights average 1.3°C (34°F). The air drops below freezing on about 26 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Peterhead get?
About 813 mm (32 in) a year, more than 56% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (102 mm) and April the driest (47 mm).
Where do these figures come from?
The Met Office’s HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages, which turn thousands of weather stations into a map of the UK in 2 km squares; the page reads the squares inside Peterhead. They are 30-year averages, not a forecast.
Contains Met Office data © Crown copyright 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0. HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages via the Met Office Climate Data Portal; station averages from Met Office historic station data. Today’s forecast for Peterhead →
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.