Macclesfield is wetter than 74% of UK towns: 936 mm (37 in) of rain a year
High summer brings afternoon highs near 20.4°C (69°F). Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 68% of UK towns. Expect the heaviest rain in October and the lightest in April. Gritters and ice scrapers earn their keep on roughly 41 nights a year below 0°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Macclesfield at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Macclesfield feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 936 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and April the driest. About 24 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 2nd wettest of 46 Cheshire towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Sheffield
41 air frosts and 8 days of 25°C a year
On about 41 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 8 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 Sheffield
Sheffield is 28 miles east of Macclesfield, 131 m (430 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 | 7.0°C | 2.2°C | 76 mm | 7.2 | 49 |
| February | 7.7°C | 2.2°C | 67 mm | 7.0 | 75 |
| March | 10.1°C | 3.4°C | 60 mm | 3.6 | 119 |
| April | 13.1°C | 5.2°C | 59 mm | 1.1 | 150 |
| May | 16.4°C | 7.8°C | 55 mm | 0.1 | 193 |
| June | 19.2°C | 10.8°C | 78 mm | 0.0 | 175 |
| July | 21.3°C | 12.8°C | 62 mm | 0.0 | 194 |
| August | 20.8°C | 12.6°C | 65 mm | 0.0 | 179 |
| September | 17.8°C | 10.5°C | 63 mm | 0.0 | 135 |
| October | 13.7°C | 7.8°C | 79 mm | 0.4 | 95 |
| November | 9.8°C | 4.8°C | 85 mm | 2.4 | 59 |
| December | 7.3°C | 2.6°C | 87 mm | 6.5 | 48 |
| Year | 13.7°C | 6.9°C | 834 mm | 28 | 1,469 |
Met Office historic station data, Sheffield, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Kipp & Zonen recorder.
How Macclesfield 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macclesfield | 20.4°C | 1.6°C | 936 mm |
| Prestbury 2.2 mi | 20.4°C about the same | 1.7°C about the same | 934 mm |
| Bollington 2.8 mi | 20.3°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 935 mm |
| Alderley Edge 5.0 mi | 20.4°C about the same | 1.7°C about the same | 910 mm |
| Woodford 5.7 mi | 20.3°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 928 mm |
| Chelford 6.1 mi | 21.2°C 0.8°C warmer | 1.7°C about the same | 830 mm |
| Poynton 6.2 mi | 20.8°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 888 mm |
Macclesfield 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 | 6.7°C 44°F | 1.6°C 35°F | 4.1°C | 80 mm 3.2 in |
| February | 7.5°C 46°F | 1.7°C 35°F | 4.6°C | 69 mm 2.7 in |
| March | 9.8°C 50°F | 2.9°C 37°F | 6.4°C | 61 mm 2.4 in |
| April | 12.8°C 55°F | 4.6°C 40°F | 8.7°C | 58 mm 2.3 in |
| May | 16.2°C 61°F | 7.5°C 46°F | 11.8°C | 62 mm 2.4 in |
| June | 18.8°C 66°F | 10.2°C 50°F | 14.5°C | 76 mm 3.0 in |
| July | 20.4°C 69°F | 12.1°C 54°F | 16.3°C | 80 mm 3.1 in |
| August | 20.1°C 68°F | 12.1°C 54°F | 16.1°C | 87 mm 3.4 in |
| September | 17.4°C 63°F | 10.0°C 50°F | 13.7°C | 80 mm 3.1 in |
| October | 13.5°C 56°F | 7.2°C 45°F | 10.4°C | 101 mm 4.0 in |
| November | 9.6°C 49°F | 4.0°C 39°F | 6.8°C | 87 mm 3.4 in |
| December | 7.2°C 45°F | 1.9°C 35°F | 4.5°C | 95 mm 3.7 in |
| Year | 13.3°C | 6.3°C | 9.8°C | 936 mm |
Where Macclesfield’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 5 Met Office 2 km grid squares whose centre lies inside Macclesfield’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 Sheffield, 28 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 Macclesfield’s climate
How warm does Macclesfield get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 20.4°C (69°F). About 8 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 63% of UK towns.
How cold does Macclesfield get in winter?
January nights average 1.6°C (35°F). The air drops below freezing on about 41 nights a year, and about 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Macclesfield get?
About 936 mm (37 in) a year, more than 74% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (101 mm) and April the driest (58 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Sheffield (28 miles away), averages 1,469 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 Macclesfield. 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 Macclesfield →
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