Warm afternoons come to Chester-le-Street less often than to 76% of UK towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 1.6°C (35°F). Its January nights bite harder than in 66% of UK towns. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 19°C. Frost greets about 41 mornings a year, so leave time to clear the car.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Chester-le-Street at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Chester-le-Street feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 706 mm of rain a year
November is the wettest month and March the driest. About 15 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 29th wettest of 52 County Durham towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
41 air frosts and 5 days of 25°C a year
On about 41 nights a year the air drops below freezing; days that stay below freezing are rare. About 5 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 Durham
Durham is 6.0 miles south of Chester-le-Street, 102 m (335 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 | 6.9°C | 1.3°C | 53 mm | 10.3 |
| February | 7.8°C | 1.4°C | 46 mm | 9.8 |
| March | 9.9°C | 2.5°C | 41 mm | 6.5 |
| April | 12.5°C | 4.1°C | 51 mm | 3.2 |
| May | 15.4°C | 6.5°C | 45 mm | 0.8 |
| June | 18.0°C | 9.3°C | 61 mm | 0.0 |
| July | 20.2°C | 11.3°C | 61 mm | 0.0 |
| August | 19.9°C | 11.3°C | 67 mm | 0.0 |
| September | 17.4°C | 9.2°C | 57 mm | 0.0 |
| October | 13.5°C | 6.5°C | 63 mm | 1.2 |
| November | 9.7°C | 3.6°C | 76 mm | 4.6 |
| December | 7.1°C | 1.4°C | 61 mm | 10.4 |
| Year | 13.2°C | 5.7°C | 681 mm | 47 |
Met Office historic station data, Durham, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Campbell-Stokes recorder.
How Chester-le-Street 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 County Durham 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-le-Street | 20.2°C | 1.6°C | 706 mm |
| Whitehill 1.1 mi | 20.2°C about the same | 1.4°C about the same | 707 mm |
| Newfield 1.7 mi | 19.8°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 707 mm |
| Pelton and Ouston 1.7 mi | 19.6°C 0.6°C cooler | 1.6°C about the same | 762 mm |
| Great Lumley 1.9 mi | 20.3°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 688 mm |
| Bournmoor 2.5 mi | 20.1°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 705 mm |
| Urpeth 2.5 mi | 19.6°C 0.6°C cooler | 1.6°C about the same | 762 mm |
Chester-le-Street 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 | 7.2°C 45°F | 1.6°C 35°F | 4.4°C | 53 mm 2.1 in |
| February | 7.8°C 46°F | 1.4°C 35°F | 4.6°C | 48 mm 1.9 in |
| March | 10.0°C 50°F | 2.5°C 36°F | 6.2°C | 45 mm 1.8 in |
| April | 12.4°C 54°F | 4.1°C 39°F | 8.2°C | 52 mm 2.0 in |
| May | 15.5°C 60°F | 6.4°C 43°F | 10.9°C | 49 mm 1.9 in |
| June | 18.0°C 64°F | 9.3°C 49°F | 13.6°C | 67 mm 2.6 in |
| July | 20.2°C 68°F | 11.2°C 52°F | 15.8°C | 60 mm 2.4 in |
| August | 19.8°C 68°F | 11.2°C 52°F | 15.5°C | 69 mm 2.7 in |
| September | 17.4°C 63°F | 9.3°C 49°F | 13.4°C | 61 mm 2.4 in |
| October | 13.6°C 56°F | 6.6°C 44°F | 10.1°C | 67 mm 2.6 in |
| November | 9.9°C 50°F | 3.7°C 39°F | 6.8°C | 75 mm 2.9 in |
| December | 7.1°C 45°F | 1.4°C 34°F | 4.3°C | 60 mm 2.4 in |
| Year | 13.2°C | 5.7°C | 9.5°C | 706 mm |
Where Chester-le-Street’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 Chester-le-Street’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 Durham, 6.0 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-le-Street’s climate
How warm does Chester-le-Street get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 20.2°C (68°F). About 5 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 76% of UK towns.
How cold does Chester-le-Street get in winter?
December nights average 1.4°C (34°F). The air drops below freezing on about 41 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Chester-le-Street get?
About 706 mm (28 in) a year, less than 64% of UK towns. November is the wettest month (75 mm) and March the driest (45 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 Chester-le-Street. 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-le-Street →
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.