Photo: Cmglee · CC BY-SA 3.0Orwell is among the driest of UK towns: 555 mm (22 in) of rain a year
In January the night’s low is typically 1.6°C (35°F). Expect the heaviest rain in August and the lightest in March. Warm afternoons come more often than in 95% of UK towns. For walks and days out, the stretch from June to September brings highs of 20–23°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Orwell at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Orwell feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 555 mm of rain a year
August is the wettest month and March the driest. About 11 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more.
Rain by month
Millimetres
46 air frosts and 22 days of 25°C a year
On about 46 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 22 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 9.1 miles north-east of Orwell, 26 m (85 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 Orwell 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 Cambridgeshire 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orwell | 23.0°C | 1.6°C | 555 mm |
| Barrington 2.1 mi | 22.9°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 574 mm |
| Meldreth 2.6 mi | 23.2°C about the same | 1.7°C about the same | 554 mm |
| Haslingfield 3.1 mi | 23.0°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 576 mm |
| Foxton 3.4 mi | 23.2°C about the same | 1.7°C about the same | 540 mm |
| Melbourn 3.8 mi | 23.2°C about the same | 1.7°C about the same | 556 mm |
| Bassingbourn 4.0 mi | 23.2°C about the same | 1.8°C about the same | 572 mm |
Orwell 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 | 7.6°C 46°F | 1.6°C 35°F | 4.6°C | 48 mm 1.9 in |
| February | 8.3°C 47°F | 1.6°C 35°F | 5.0°C | 37 mm 1.4 in |
| March | 11.1°C 52°F | 2.9°C 37°F | 7.0°C | 32 mm 1.2 in |
| April | 14.3°C 58°F | 4.4°C 40°F | 9.4°C | 38 mm 1.5 in |
| May | 17.5°C 63°F | 7.2°C 45°F | 12.3°C | 44 mm 1.7 in |
| June | 20.5°C 69°F | 10.2°C 50°F | 15.3°C | 47 mm 1.9 in |
| July | 23.0°C 73°F | 12.3°C 54°F | 17.7°C | 51 mm 2.0 in |
| August | 22.8°C 73°F | 12.3°C 54°F | 17.6°C | 57 mm 2.2 in |
| September | 19.6°C 67°F | 10.1°C 50°F | 14.9°C | 47 mm 1.8 in |
| October | 15.2°C 59°F | 7.5°C 45°F | 11.4°C | 55 mm 2.2 in |
| November | 10.7°C 51°F | 4.2°C 40°F | 7.5°C | 52 mm 2.1 in |
| December | 7.9°C 46°F | 1.9°C 35°F | 4.9°C | 48 mm 1.9 in |
| Year | 14.9°C | 6.3°C | 10.6°C | 555 mm |
Where Orwell’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the Met Office 2 km grid square nearest Orwell’s centre (the town is smaller than one square).
- 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, 9.1 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 Orwell’s climate
How warm does Orwell get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 23.0°C (73°F). About 22 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), more than 95% of UK towns.
How cold does Orwell get in winter?
February nights average 1.6°C (35°F). The air drops below freezing on about 46 nights a year, and about 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Orwell get?
About 555 mm (22 in) a year, less than almost every UK town. August is the wettest month (57 mm) and March the driest (32 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 Orwell. 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 Orwell →
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.