Ice on the ground: Stanley sees more frosts than 89% of UK towns
Expect July afternoons of about 19.8°C (68°F). Only about 3 days a year reach 25°C, fewer than in 86% of UK towns. Only 19°C separates winter nights from summer afternoons. The heating season runs October to April: each of those months averages under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Stanley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Stanley feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 747 mm of rain a year
August is the wettest month and February the driest. About 18 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 16th wettest of 52 County Durham towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
A frosty town: 51 air frosts and 3 days of 25°C a year
On about 51 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 2 days it stays below freezing all day. About 3 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 8.1 miles south-east of Stanley, 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 Stanley 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanley | 19.8°C | 1.3°C | 747 mm |
| Tanfield Lea 1.1 mi | 19.8°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 742 mm |
| Annfield Plain 1.9 mi | 19.6°C about the same | 1.1°C about the same | 749 mm |
| Dipton 2.7 mi | 19.3°C about the same | 1.7°C about the same | 804 mm |
| Burnhope 2.9 mi | 19.5°C about the same | 0.8°C about the same | 771 mm |
| Newfield 2.9 mi | 19.8°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 707 mm |
| Burnopfield 3.2 mi | 19.8°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 749 mm |
Stanley 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 | 5.7°C 42°F | 1.3°C 34°F | 3.6°C | 57 mm 2.3 in |
| February | 6.9°C 44°F | 1.3°C 34°F | 4.1°C | 47 mm 1.9 in |
| March | 9.0°C 48°F | 2.3°C 36°F | 5.6°C | 54 mm 2.1 in |
| April | 11.7°C 53°F | 3.7°C 39°F | 7.8°C | 56 mm 2.2 in |
| May | 14.6°C 58°F | 6.1°C 43°F | 10.4°C | 53 mm 2.1 in |
| June | 17.2°C 63°F | 9.0°C 48°F | 13.1°C | 73 mm 2.9 in |
| July | 19.8°C 68°F | 11.0°C 52°F | 15.4°C | 66 mm 2.6 in |
| August | 19.3°C 67°F | 11.3°C 52°F | 15.1°C | 75 mm 2.9 in |
| September | 16.5°C 62°F | 9.2°C 49°F | 12.9°C | 62 mm 2.4 in |
| October | 12.9°C 55°F | 6.4°C 43°F | 9.5°C | 68 mm 2.7 in |
| November | 8.9°C 48°F | 3.7°C 39°F | 6.4°C | 72 mm 2.8 in |
| December | 6.4°C 44°F | 1.4°C 34°F | 3.9°C | 64 mm 2.5 in |
| Year | 12.4°C | 5.5°C | 9.0°C | 747 mm |
Where Stanley’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 Stanley’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, 8.1 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 Stanley’s climate
How warm does Stanley get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.8°C (68°F). About 3 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 86% of UK towns.
How cold does Stanley get in winter?
January nights average 1.3°C (34°F). The air drops below freezing on about 51 nights a year, and about 2 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Stanley get?
About 747 mm (29 in) a year, less than 55% of UK towns. August is the wettest month (75 mm) and February the driest (47 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 Stanley. 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 Stanley →
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