Less rain falls on Cranfield than on 81% of UK towns: 649 mm (26 in) a year
Midsummer highs settle at about 22.5°C (72°F). From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 21°C. By frosts alone, it ranks colder than 80% of UK towns. Gritters and ice scrapers earn their keep on roughly 48 nights a year below 0°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Cranfield at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Cranfield feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 649 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and March the driest. About 15 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 7th wettest of 33 Bedfordshire towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
48 air frosts and 16 days of 25°C a year
On about 48 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 2 days it stays below freezing all day. About 16 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 Cambridge NIAB
Cambridge NIAB is 32 miles north-east of Cranfield, 26 m (85 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 | 7.7°C | 1.9°C | 49 mm | 9.0 |
| February | 8.3°C | 1.8°C | 36 mm | 8.7 |
| March | 11.0°C | 3.1°C | 33 mm | 5.2 |
| April | 14.1°C | 4.7°C | 38 mm | 2.6 |
| May | 17.4°C | 7.4°C | 43 mm | 0.6 |
| June | 20.4°C | 10.5°C | 49 mm | 0.0 |
| July | 23.1°C | 12.6°C | 48 mm | 0.0 |
| August | 22.9°C | 12.6°C | 56 mm | 0.0 |
| September | 19.6°C | 10.5°C | 51 mm | 0.0 |
| October | 15.1°C | 7.9°C | 59 mm | 0.7 |
| November | 10.7°C | 4.5°C | 53 mm | 3.7 |
| December | 8.0°C | 2.2°C | 50 mm | 9.2 |
| Year | 14.9°C | 6.6°C | 563 mm | 40 |
Met Office historic station data, Cambridge NIAB, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Campbell-Stokes recorder.
How Cranfield 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 Bedfordshire 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cranfield | 22.5°C | 1.5°C | 649 mm |
| Marston Moretaine 2.5 mi | 22.9°C about the same | 1.8°C about the same | 562 mm |
| Lidlington 3.0 mi | 22.3°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 657 mm |
| Wootton 3.8 mi | 22.9°C about the same | 1.8°C about the same | 582 mm |
| Woburn Sands 4.3 mi | 22.0°C about the same | 1.7°C about the same | 711 mm |
| Stewartby 4.3 mi | 22.5°C about the same | 1.8°C about the same | 620 mm |
| Aspley Guise 4.4 mi | 22.0°C about the same | 1.7°C about the same | 711 mm |
Cranfield 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 | 7.4°C 45°F | 1.5°C 35°F | 4.4°C | 57 mm 2.2 in |
| February | 8.0°C 46°F | 1.4°C 34°F | 4.7°C | 44 mm 1.7 in |
| March | 10.7°C 51°F | 2.6°C 37°F | 6.7°C | 42 mm 1.7 in |
| April | 13.8°C 57°F | 4.1°C 39°F | 9.0°C | 47 mm 1.9 in |
| May | 17.0°C 63°F | 6.8°C 44°F | 11.9°C | 60 mm 2.4 in |
| June | 20.0°C 68°F | 9.7°C 50°F | 14.9°C | 57 mm 2.3 in |
| July | 22.5°C 72°F | 11.8°C 53°F | 17.2°C | 48 mm 1.9 in |
| August | 22.2°C 72°F | 11.8°C 53°F | 17.0°C | 51 mm 2.0 in |
| September | 19.1°C 66°F | 9.7°C 49°F | 14.4°C | 59 mm 2.3 in |
| October | 14.7°C 58°F | 7.1°C 45°F | 10.9°C | 67 mm 2.6 in |
| November | 10.4°C 51°F | 4.0°C 39°F | 7.2°C | 61 mm 2.4 in |
| December | 7.7°C 46°F | 1.8°C 35°F | 4.8°C | 56 mm 2.2 in |
| Year | 14.5°C | 6.0°C | 10.2°C | 649 mm |
Where Cranfield’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 Cranfield’s built-up area.
- 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 Cambridge NIAB, 32 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 Cranfield’s climate
How warm does Cranfield get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 22.5°C (72°F). About 16 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), more than 75% of UK towns.
How cold does Cranfield get in winter?
February nights average 1.4°C (34°F). The air drops below freezing on about 48 nights a year, and about 2 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Cranfield get?
About 649 mm (26 in) a year, less than 81% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (67 mm) and March the driest (42 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 Cranfield. 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 Cranfield →
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