Few UK towns get more frosts than Alston
July afternoons average 17.3°C (63°F). Of all months, December brings the most rain and May the least. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every UK town. The heating season runs October to May: each of those months averages under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Alston at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Alston feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,456 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and May the driest. About 46 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more.
Rain by month
Millimetres
A frosty town: 83 air frosts and 1 days of 25°C a year
On about 83 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 5 days it stays below freezing all day. About 1 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 Newton Rigg
Newton Rigg is 17 miles south-west of Alston, 169 m (554 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 | 6.4°C | 0.9°C | 103 mm | 11.1 |
| February | 7.0°C | 0.9°C | 81 mm | 10.6 |
| March | 9.1°C | 1.9°C | 69 mm | 8.6 |
| April | 12.0°C | 3.3°C | 52 mm | 4.8 |
| May | 15.3°C | 5.7°C | 56 mm | 1.8 |
| June | 17.6°C | 8.7°C | 67 mm | 0.0 |
| July | 19.5°C | 10.6°C | 75 mm | 0.0 |
| August | 18.9°C | 10.3°C | 81 mm | 0.0 |
| September | 16.6°C | 8.2°C | 76 mm | 0.1 |
| October | 12.8°C | 5.7°C | 102 mm | 2.9 |
| November | 9.1°C | 2.9°C | 103 mm | 7.1 |
| December | 6.8°C | 0.7°C | 118 mm | 12.0 |
| Year | 12.6°C | 5.0°C | 981 mm | 59 |
Met Office historic station data, Newton Rigg, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Campbell-Stokes recorder.
How Alston 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 Cumbria 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alston | 17.3°C | −0.2°C | 1,456 mm |
| Haltwhistle 11.0 mi | 18.5°C 1.2°C warmer | 0.9°C 1.1°C milder | 983 mm |
Alston 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 | 4.5°C 40°F | −0.2°C 32°F | 2.2°C | 157 mm 6.2 in |
| February | 4.8°C 41°F | −0.3°C 31°F | 2.4°C | 145 mm 5.7 in |
| March | 6.7°C 44°F | 0.8°C 33°F | 3.8°C | 113 mm 4.4 in |
| April | 9.5°C 49°F | 2.2°C 36°F | 5.9°C | 85 mm 3.4 in |
| May | 12.9°C 55°F | 4.7°C 41°F | 8.9°C | 78 mm 3.1 in |
| June | 15.6°C 60°F | 7.7°C 46°F | 11.7°C | 85 mm 3.3 in |
| July | 17.3°C 63°F | 9.7°C 49°F | 13.6°C | 93 mm 3.7 in |
| August | 16.7°C 62°F | 9.6°C 49°F | 13.2°C | 110 mm 4.3 in |
| September | 14.2°C 58°F | 7.5°C 46°F | 11.0°C | 114 mm 4.5 in |
| October | 10.7°C 51°F | 4.9°C 41°F | 7.9°C | 138 mm 5.4 in |
| November | 7.2°C 45°F | 2.1°C 36°F | 4.7°C | 156 mm 6.1 in |
| December | 4.9°C 41°F | −0.1°C 32°F | 2.4°C | 184 mm 7.2 in |
| Year | 10.4°C | 4.0°C | 7.3°C | 1,456 mm |
Where Alston’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 Alston’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 Newton Rigg, 17 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 Alston’s climate
How warm does Alston get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 17.3°C (63°F). About 1 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 96% of UK towns.
How cold does Alston get in winter?
February nights average −0.3°C (31°F). The air drops below freezing on about 83 nights a year, and about 5 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Alston get?
About 1,456 mm (57 in) a year, more than 96% of UK towns. December is the wettest month (184 mm) and May the driest (78 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 Alston. 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 Alston →
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.