Hardly any UK towns see harsher January nights than Hamsterley
July afternoons average 19.3°C (67°F). Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 87% of UK towns. Winter and summer sit 19°C apart. Windscreens need scraping on about 60 mornings a year, the nights the air drops below 0°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Hamsterley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Hamsterley feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 856 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and May the driest. About 20 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more.
Rain by month
Millimetres
A frosty town: 60 air frosts and 5 days of 25°C a year
On about 60 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 1 days it stays below freezing all day. 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 11 miles north-east of Hamsterley, 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 Hamsterley 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamsterley | 19.3°C | 0.6°C | 856 mm |
| Toft Hill and High Etherley 3.2 mi | 19.8°C 0.5°C warmer | 0.7°C about the same | 783 mm |
| Crook 3.8 mi | 20.2°C 0.9°C warmer | 0.6°C about the same | 748 mm |
| Evenwood 4.3 mi | 20.1°C 0.9°C warmer | 0.5°C about the same | 787 mm |
| Cockfield 4.3 mi | 20.1°C 0.9°C warmer | 0.2°C about the same | 720 mm |
| Wolsingham 4.7 mi | 19.3°C about the same | 0.8°C about the same | 825 mm |
| West Auckland 4.8 mi | 20.1°C 0.9°C warmer | 0.6°C about the same | 781 mm |
Hamsterley 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 | 6.0°C 43°F | 0.6°C 33°F | 3.3°C | 72 mm 2.8 in |
| February | 6.3°C 43°F | 0.2°C 32°F | 3.2°C | 71 mm 2.8 in |
| March | 8.4°C 47°F | 1.2°C 34°F | 4.8°C | 60 mm 2.3 in |
| April | 11.2°C 52°F | 2.9°C 37°F | 7.1°C | 58 mm 2.3 in |
| May | 14.3°C 58°F | 5.2°C 41°F | 9.8°C | 53 mm 2.1 in |
| June | 17.0°C 63°F | 8.1°C 47°F | 12.6°C | 68 mm 2.7 in |
| July | 19.3°C 67°F | 10.1°C 50°F | 14.8°C | 72 mm 2.8 in |
| August | 18.7°C 66°F | 10.1°C 50°F | 14.4°C | 75 mm 3.0 in |
| September | 15.9°C 61°F | 8.0°C 46°F | 12.0°C | 67 mm 2.6 in |
| October | 12.1°C 54°F | 5.4°C 42°F | 8.8°C | 85 mm 3.3 in |
| November | 8.4°C 47°F | 2.6°C 37°F | 5.5°C | 87 mm 3.4 in |
| December | 5.9°C 43°F | 0.4°C 33°F | 3.2°C | 89 mm 3.5 in |
| Year | 12.0°C | 4.6°C | 8.3°C | 856 mm |
Where Hamsterley’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 Hamsterley’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, 11 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 Hamsterley’s climate
How warm does Hamsterley get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.3°C (67°F). About 5 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 78% of UK towns.
How cold does Hamsterley get in winter?
February nights average 0.2°C (32°F). The air drops below freezing on about 60 nights a year, and about 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Hamsterley get?
About 856 mm (34 in) a year, more than 63% of UK towns. December is the wettest month (89 mm) and May the driest (53 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 Hamsterley. 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 Hamsterley →
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.