Few UK towns have cooler summers than Ballycastle
January nights here settle around 2.6°C (37°F). Frost is rarer than in 97% of UK towns: about 17 nights a year drop below freezing. Winter and summer sit 16°C apart. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from October to April, which average under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Ballycastle at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Ballycastle feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,247 mm of rain a year
November is the wettest month and May the driest. About 34 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 2nd wettest of 7 Causeway Coast and Glens towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
17 air frosts and under 1 days of 25°C a year
On about 17 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 Ballypatrick Forest
Ballypatrick Forest is 4.4 miles east of Ballycastle, 156 m (512 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 | 7.0°C | 2.5°C | 132 mm | 4.8 |
| February | 7.2°C | 2.5°C | 106 mm | 4.2 |
| March | 8.6°C | 2.9°C | 97 mm | 3.8 |
| April | 10.7°C | 4.4°C | 80 mm | 1.6 |
| May | 13.4°C | 6.5°C | 80 mm | 0.1 |
| June | 15.6°C | 9.1°C | 86 mm | 0.0 |
| July | 17.0°C | 10.8°C | 97 mm | 0.0 |
| August | 16.9°C | 10.9°C | 109 mm | 0.0 |
| September | 15.3°C | 9.6°C | 100 mm | 0.0 |
| October | 12.3°C | 7.2°C | 143 mm | 0.2 |
| November | 9.2°C | 4.7°C | 151 mm | 1.7 |
| December | 7.3°C | 2.9°C | 146 mm | 4.3 |
| Year | 11.7°C | 6.2°C | 1,326 mm | 21 |
Met Office historic station data, Ballypatrick Forest, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Campbell-Stokes recorder.
How Ballycastle 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 Causeway Coast and Glens towns that size.
Ballycastle 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 | 7.8°C 46°F | 2.6°C 37°F | 5.2°C | 120 mm 4.7 in |
| February | 7.9°C 46°F | 2.2°C 36°F | 5.0°C | 92 mm 3.6 in |
| March | 9.4°C 49°F | 2.8°C 37°F | 6.1°C | 87 mm 3.4 in |
| April | 11.6°C 53°F | 4.2°C 40°F | 7.9°C | 76 mm 3.0 in |
| May | 14.3°C 58°F | 6.2°C 43°F | 10.3°C | 73 mm 2.9 in |
| June | 16.6°C 62°F | 8.8°C 48°F | 12.7°C | 84 mm 3.3 in |
| July | 18.0°C 64°F | 10.7°C 51°F | 14.3°C | 90 mm 3.5 in |
| August | 17.9°C 64°F | 10.7°C 51°F | 14.3°C | 106 mm 4.2 in |
| September | 16.1°C 61°F | 9.3°C 49°F | 12.7°C | 92 mm 3.6 in |
| October | 12.9°C 55°F | 6.9°C 44°F | 9.9°C | 133 mm 5.3 in |
| November | 9.9°C 50°F | 4.4°C 40°F | 7.1°C | 153 mm 6.0 in |
| December | 7.9°C 46°F | 2.6°C 37°F | 5.3°C | 140 mm 5.5 in |
| Year | 12.5°C | 5.9°C | 9.2°C | 1,247 mm |
Where Ballycastle’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 Ballycastle’s settlement.
- 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 Ballypatrick Forest, 4.4 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 Ballycastle’s climate
How warm does Ballycastle get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 18.0°C (64°F). About under 1 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than almost every UK town.
How cold does Ballycastle get in winter?
February nights average 2.2°C (36°F). The air drops below freezing on about 17 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Ballycastle get?
About 1,247 mm (49 in) a year, more than 91% of UK towns. November is the wettest month (153 mm) and May the driest (73 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 Ballycastle. 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 Ballycastle →
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.