Rothesay has some of the coolest summers among UK towns
On a normal January night the air cools to about 2.9°C (37°F). The year changes little: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are only 16°C apart. Its yearly rainfall tops that of 96% of UK towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to April, when means dip under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Rothesay at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Rothesay feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,452 mm of rain a year
January is the wettest month and May the driest. About 50 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 4th wettest of 5 Argyll and Bute towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Paisley
23 air frosts and 1 days of 25°C a year
On about 23 nights a year the air drops below freezing; days that stay below freezing are rare. About 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 Paisley
Paisley is 24 miles east of Rothesay, 32 m (105 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 | 7.1°C | 1.9°C | 147 mm | 8.5 | 39 |
| February | 7.8°C | 2.1°C | 111 mm | 7.3 | 69 |
| March | 9.9°C | 3.2°C | 100 mm | 4.3 | 103 |
| April | 12.9°C | 5.1°C | 72 mm | 0.9 | 133 |
| May | 16.1°C | 7.4°C | 63 mm | 0.1 | 184 |
| June | 18.3°C | 10.2°C | 67 mm | 0.0 | 161 |
| July | 19.7°C | 12.1°C | 76 mm | 0.0 | 149 |
| August | 19.5°C | 11.9°C | 90 mm | 0.0 | 151 |
| September | 16.7°C | 9.9°C | 99 mm | 0.0 | 116 |
| October | 12.9°C | 6.8°C | 134 mm | 0.9 | 89 |
| November | 9.6°C | 4.3°C | 133 mm | 3.6 | 54 |
| December | 6.8°C | 1.5°C | 136 mm | 9.7 | 36 |
| Year | 13.1°C | 6.4°C | 1,229 mm | 35 | 1,282 |
Met Office historic station data, Paisley, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Campbell-Stokes recorder.
How Rothesay 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 Argyll and Bute 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rothesay | 18.4°C | 2.9°C | 1,452 mm |
| Largs 7.9 mi | 18.1°C about the same | 2.9°C about the same | 1,683 mm |
| Inverkip 8.8 mi | 18.1°C about the same | 2.6°C about the same | 1,867 mm |
| Dunoon 9.6 mi | 16.9°C 1.5°C cooler | 2.1°C 0.8°C colder | 2,450 mm |
| Gourock 11.9 mi | 18.9°C 0.6°C warmer | 2.4°C about the same | 1,955 mm |
Rothesay 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 | 7.5°C 45°F | 2.9°C 37°F | 5.2°C | 163 mm 6.4 in |
| February | 7.3°C 45°F | 2.8°C 37°F | 5.1°C | 122 mm 4.8 in |
| March | 8.9°C 48°F | 3.5°C 38°F | 6.2°C | 111 mm 4.4 in |
| April | 11.6°C 53°F | 5.1°C 41°F | 8.3°C | 83 mm 3.3 in |
| May | 14.7°C 58°F | 7.3°C 45°F | 10.9°C | 81 mm 3.2 in |
| June | 17.0°C 63°F | 10.1°C 50°F | 13.4°C | 90 mm 3.5 in |
| July | 18.4°C 65°F | 11.7°C 53°F | 14.9°C | 107 mm 4.2 in |
| August | 18.2°C 65°F | 11.7°C 53°F | 14.9°C | 121 mm 4.7 in |
| September | 15.7°C 60°F | 10.1°C 50°F | 13.0°C | 112 mm 4.4 in |
| October | 12.6°C 55°F | 7.6°C 46°F | 10.1°C | 158 mm 6.2 in |
| November | 9.6°C 49°F | 5.0°C 41°F | 7.3°C | 150 mm 5.9 in |
| December | 7.9°C 46°F | 3.1°C 38°F | 5.4°C | 153 mm 6.0 in |
| Year | 12.4°C | 6.7°C | 9.5°C | 1,452 mm |
Where Rothesay’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 Rothesay’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 Paisley, 24 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 Rothesay’s climate
How warm does Rothesay get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 18.4°C (65°F). About 1 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 97% of UK towns.
How cold does Rothesay get in winter?
February nights average 2.8°C (37°F). The air drops below freezing on about 23 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Rothesay get?
About 1,452 mm (57 in) a year, more than 96% of UK towns. January is the wettest month (163 mm) and May the driest (81 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Paisley (24 miles away), averages 1,282 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 Rothesay. 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 Rothesay →
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.