A middle-of-the-road climate: Chester is close to most UK towns on every count
January nights average 1.8°C (35°F), July afternoons 21.4°C (70°F), and a year brings 733 mm (29 in) of rain. Only about 37 nights a year bring a frost, fewer than in 67% of UK towns. Only 20°C separates winter nights from summer afternoons. For walks and days out, the stretch from June to September brings highs of 18–21°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Chester at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Chester feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 733 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and March the driest. About 16 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 41st wettest of 46 Cheshire towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Shawbury
37 air frosts and 11 days of 25°C a year
On about 37 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 11 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 Shawbury
Shawbury is 29 miles south of Chester, 72 m (236 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 | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7.5°C | 1.2°C | 57 mm | 11.7 | 50 |
| February | 8.1°C | 1.2°C | 43 mm | 10.8 | 71 |
| March | 10.3°C | 2.3°C | 43 mm | 8.2 | 109 |
| April | 13.2°C | 3.9°C | 47 mm | 4.4 | 148 |
| May | 16.3°C | 6.7°C | 54 mm | 0.9 | 181 |
| June | 19.1°C | 9.6°C | 59 mm | 0.0 | 173 |
| July | 21.1°C | 11.5°C | 58 mm | 0.0 | 179 |
| August | 20.7°C | 11.4°C | 64 mm | 0.0 | 156 |
| September | 18.1°C | 9.3°C | 61 mm | 0.0 | 127 |
| October | 14.2°C | 6.6°C | 69 mm | 1.8 | 92 |
| November | 10.3°C | 3.5°C | 61 mm | 6.7 | 59 |
| December | 7.7°C | 1.3°C | 66 mm | 11.2 | 48 |
| Year | 13.9°C | 5.7°C | 682 mm | 56 | 1,392 |
Met Office historic station data, Shawbury, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Kipp & Zonen recorder.
How Chester 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 Cheshire 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chester | 21.4°C | 1.8°C | 733 mm |
| Moston 2.3 mi | 21.4°C about the same | 1.8°C about the same | 748 mm |
| Christleton and Waverton 2.6 mi | 21.3°C about the same | 1.7°C about the same | 721 mm |
| Guilden Sutton 2.7 mi | 21.4°C about the same | 1.7°C about the same | 745 mm |
| Mickle Trafford 3.2 mi | 21.4°C about the same | 1.7°C about the same | 745 mm |
| Saughall 3.4 mi | 21.5°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 720 mm |
| Broughton 4.5 mi | 21.0°C about the same | 1.8°C about the same | 722 mm |
Chester 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 | 8.1°C 46°F | 1.8°C 35°F | 4.9°C | 56 mm 2.2 in |
| February | 8.7°C 48°F | 2.1°C 36°F | 5.3°C | 47 mm 1.8 in |
| March | 11.1°C 52°F | 3.1°C 38°F | 7.0°C | 45 mm 1.8 in |
| April | 13.9°C 57°F | 4.9°C 41°F | 9.3°C | 48 mm 1.9 in |
| May | 17.0°C 63°F | 7.5°C 45°F | 12.2°C | 53 mm 2.1 in |
| June | 19.6°C 67°F | 10.4°C 51°F | 14.9°C | 65 mm 2.6 in |
| July | 21.4°C 70°F | 12.3°C 54°F | 16.7°C | 63 mm 2.5 in |
| August | 20.9°C 70°F | 12.1°C 54°F | 16.4°C | 67 mm 2.6 in |
| September | 18.4°C 65°F | 10.0°C 50°F | 14.2°C | 66 mm 2.6 in |
| October | 14.6°C 58°F | 7.3°C 45°F | 11.0°C | 77 mm 3.0 in |
| November | 10.8°C 51°F | 4.4°C 40°F | 7.6°C | 72 mm 2.8 in |
| December | 8.3°C 47°F | 2.2°C 36°F | 5.2°C | 75 mm 3.0 in |
| Year | 14.4°C | 6.5°C | 10.4°C | 733 mm |
Where Chester’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 6 Met Office 2 km grid squares whose centre lies inside Chester’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 Shawbury, 29 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 Chester’s climate
How warm does Chester get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 21.4°C (70°F). About 11 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 50% of UK towns.
How cold does Chester get in winter?
January nights average 1.8°C (35°F). The air drops below freezing on about 37 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Chester get?
About 733 mm (29 in) a year, less than 58% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (77 mm) and March the driest (45 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Shawbury (29 miles away), averages 1,392 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 Chester. 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 Chester →
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