Photo: Dave Eagle · CC BY-SA 2.0Fewer days reach 25 degrees in Great Lumley than in 75% of UK towns
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 1.5°C (35°F) on average. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 19°C. In January, nights here are colder than in 73% of UK towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from June to September, with highs of 17–20°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Great Lumley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Great Lumley feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 688 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. 39th wettest of 52 County Durham towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
43 air frosts and 5 days of 25°C a year
On about 43 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 5.1 miles south of Great Lumley, 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 Great Lumley 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Lumley | 20.3°C | 1.5°C | 688 mm |
| Bournmoor 1.5 mi | 20.1°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 705 mm |
| Fence Houses 1.7 mi | 19.4°C 0.9°C cooler | 1.6°C about the same | 696 mm |
| Chester-le-Street 1.9 mi | 20.2°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 706 mm |
| West Rainton 2.3 mi | 19.5°C 0.8°C cooler | 1.1°C about the same | 740 mm |
| East Rainton 2.7 mi | 19.5°C 0.8°C cooler | 1.3°C about the same | 738 mm |
| Houghton-le-Spring 2.8 mi | 19.4°C 0.9°C cooler | 1.6°C about the same | 696 mm |
Great Lumley 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 | 7.1°C 45°F | 1.5°C 35°F | 4.3°C | 53 mm 2.1 in |
| February | 7.8°C 46°F | 1.5°C 35°F | 4.7°C | 46 mm 1.8 in |
| March | 10.0°C 50°F | 2.5°C 37°F | 6.3°C | 42 mm 1.7 in |
| April | 12.5°C 55°F | 4.2°C 40°F | 8.4°C | 50 mm 1.9 in |
| May | 15.6°C 60°F | 6.5°C 44°F | 11.1°C | 47 mm 1.9 in |
| June | 18.1°C 65°F | 9.3°C 49°F | 13.7°C | 66 mm 2.6 in |
| July | 20.3°C 68°F | 11.3°C 52°F | 15.9°C | 60 mm 2.4 in |
| August | 19.9°C 68°F | 11.3°C 52°F | 15.6°C | 68 mm 2.7 in |
| September | 17.4°C 63°F | 9.3°C 49°F | 13.5°C | 57 mm 2.2 in |
| October | 13.7°C 57°F | 6.6°C 44°F | 10.2°C | 65 mm 2.6 in |
| November | 9.8°C 50°F | 3.7°C 39°F | 6.8°C | 73 mm 2.9 in |
| December | 7.1°C 45°F | 1.4°C 34°F | 4.3°C | 60 mm 2.4 in |
| Year | 13.3°C | 5.8°C | 9.5°C | 688 mm |
Where Great Lumley’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 Great Lumley’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 Durham, 5.1 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 Great Lumley’s climate
How warm does Great Lumley get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 20.3°C (68°F). About 5 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 75% of UK towns.
How cold does Great Lumley get in winter?
December nights average 1.4°C (34°F). The air drops below freezing on about 43 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Great Lumley get?
About 688 mm (27 in) a year, less than 69% of UK towns. November is the wettest month (73 mm) and March the driest (42 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 Great Lumley. 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 Great Lumley →
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