Summer arrives softly in Carnoustie, cooler than in 92% of UK towns
Midwinter brings lows of about 1.3°C (34°F). The rainiest month is October; the driest is April. None of the 7 Angus towns has milder January nights. Windscreens need scraping on about 40 mornings a year, the nights the air drops below 0°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Carnoustie at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Carnoustie feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 727 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and April the driest. About 17 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 6th wettest of 7 Angus towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Leuchars
40 air frosts and under 1 days of 25°C a year
On about 40 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 Leuchars
Leuchars is 10 miles south-west of Carnoustie, 10 m (33 ft) above sea level. It is the nearest of the 37 long-running stations the Met Office publishes in full.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Air frosts | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.8°C | 0.7°C | 64 mm | 12.1 | 60 |
| February | 7.7°C | 1.0°C | 47 mm | 10.4 | 87 |
| March | 9.6°C | 2.1°C | 46 mm | 8.2 | 124 |
| April | 11.8°C | 3.8°C | 43 mm | 3.4 | 161 |
| May | 14.5°C | 6.1°C | 50 mm | 1.0 | 198 |
| June | 17.2°C | 9.1°C | 63 mm | 0.0 | 172 |
| July | 19.3°C | 10.9°C | 65 mm | 0.0 | 173 |
| August | 19.1°C | 10.7°C | 69 mm | 0.0 | 162 |
| September | 16.8°C | 9.0°C | 55 mm | 0.0 | 133 |
| October | 13.2°C | 6.2°C | 81 mm | 1.6 | 101 |
| November | 9.5°C | 2.9°C | 68 mm | 6.8 | 76 |
| December | 7.0°C | 0.9°C | 63 mm | 12.0 | 52 |
| Year | 12.7°C | 5.3°C | 714 mm | 56 | 1,498 |
Met Office historic station data, Leuchars, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Kipp & Zonen recorder.
How Carnoustie 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 Angus 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carnoustie | 19.0°C | 1.3°C | 727 mm |
| Monifieth 4.2 mi | 19.4°C about the same | 0.9°C about the same | 791 mm |
| Arbroath 6.5 mi | 18.7°C about the same | 1.3°C about the same | 721 mm |
| Tayport 7.3 mi | 19.3°C about the same | 1.1°C about the same | 797 mm |
| Dundee 9.5 mi | 19.4°C about the same | 0.9°C about the same | 778 mm |
| Newport-on-Tay and Wormit 10.1 mi | 19.8°C 0.8°C warmer | 1.3°C about the same | 725 mm |
| Forfar 11.6 mi | 18.9°C about the same | −0.1°C 1.4°C colder | 866 mm |
Carnoustie 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 | 7.0°C 45°F | 1.3°C 34°F | 4.1°C | 64 mm 2.5 in |
| February | 7.2°C 45°F | 0.9°C 34°F | 4.1°C | 52 mm 2.0 in |
| March | 9.2°C 49°F | 1.8°C 35°F | 5.5°C | 45 mm 1.8 in |
| April | 12.1°C 54°F | 4.1°C 39°F | 8.1°C | 44 mm 1.7 in |
| May | 14.8°C 59°F | 6.2°C 43°F | 10.5°C | 55 mm 2.2 in |
| June | 16.8°C 62°F | 8.4°C 47°F | 12.6°C | 59 mm 2.3 in |
| July | 19.0°C 66°F | 10.3°C 50°F | 14.6°C | 70 mm 2.8 in |
| August | 18.7°C 66°F | 10.2°C 50°F | 14.4°C | 71 mm 2.8 in |
| September | 16.5°C 62°F | 8.9°C 48°F | 12.7°C | 53 mm 2.1 in |
| October | 12.9°C 55°F | 6.1°C 43°F | 9.5°C | 79 mm 3.1 in |
| November | 9.3°C 49°F | 3.2°C 38°F | 6.1°C | 73 mm 2.9 in |
| December | 6.7°C 44°F | 0.8°C 33°F | 3.7°C | 62 mm 2.4 in |
| Year | 12.5°C | 5.2°C | 8.8°C | 727 mm |
Where Carnoustie’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 1 Met Office 2 km grid square whose centre lies inside Carnoustie’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 Leuchars, 10 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 Carnoustie’s climate
How warm does Carnoustie get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.0°C (66°F). About under 1 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than almost every UK town.
How cold does Carnoustie get in winter?
December nights average 0.8°C (33°F). The air drops below freezing on about 40 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Carnoustie get?
About 727 mm (29 in) a year, less than 59% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (79 mm) and April the driest (44 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Leuchars (10 miles away), averages 1,498 hours of bright sunshine a year. Sunshine isn’t on the town grid, so this is the station’s figure.
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 Carnoustie. 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 Carnoustie →
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.