Hardly any UK towns collect more rain than Ambleside: 2,206 mm (87 in) a year
Winter’s chill peaks in January, at about 1.9°C (35°F) after dark. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 17°C. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 90% of UK towns. Homes need heating from October to April, the months averaging under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Ambleside at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Ambleside feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 2,206 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and April the driest. About 74 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. The wettest of 23 Cumbria towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
46 air frosts and 5 days of 25°C a year
On about 46 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 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 Newton Rigg
Newton Rigg is 18 miles north-east of Ambleside, 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 Ambleside 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ambleside | 19.1°C | 1.9°C | 2,206 mm |
| Windermere 4.5 mi | 19.4°C about the same | 1.3°C 0.6°C colder | 1,849 mm |
| Bowness-on-Windermere 5.0 mi | 19.6°C 0.6°C warmer | 1.2°C 0.7°C colder | 1,698 mm |
| Staveley 7.0 mi | 19.2°C about the same | 1.0°C 1.0°C colder | 1,716 mm |
| Kendal 11.5 mi | 19.4°C about the same | 1.2°C 0.7°C colder | 1,598 mm |
Ambleside 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 | 6.3°C 43°F | 1.9°C 35°F | 4.1°C | 243 mm 9.6 in |
| February | 6.6°C 44°F | 1.7°C 35°F | 4.2°C | 211 mm 8.3 in |
| March | 8.5°C 47°F | 2.7°C 37°F | 5.6°C | 179 mm 7.0 in |
| April | 11.6°C 53°F | 4.6°C 40°F | 8.1°C | 112 mm 4.4 in |
| May | 15.1°C 59°F | 7.2°C 45°F | 11.0°C | 113 mm 4.5 in |
| June | 17.6°C 64°F | 10.0°C 50°F | 13.6°C | 118 mm 4.6 in |
| July | 19.1°C 66°F | 11.8°C 53°F | 15.3°C | 140 mm 5.5 in |
| August | 18.6°C 66°F | 11.9°C 53°F | 15.2°C | 161 mm 6.3 in |
| September | 15.9°C 61°F | 9.6°C 49°F | 12.8°C | 167 mm 6.6 in |
| October | 12.3°C 54°F | 6.9°C 44°F | 9.6°C | 231 mm 9.1 in |
| November | 8.8°C 48°F | 4.1°C 39°F | 6.4°C | 248 mm 9.8 in |
| December | 6.6°C 44°F | 1.9°C 35°F | 4.3°C | 285 mm 11.2 in |
| Year | 12.2°C | 6.2°C | 9.2°C | 2,206 mm |
Where Ambleside’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 Ambleside’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 Newton Rigg, 18 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 Ambleside’s climate
How warm does Ambleside get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.1°C (66°F). About 5 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 75% of UK towns.
How cold does Ambleside get in winter?
February nights average 1.7°C (35°F). The air drops below freezing on about 46 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Ambleside get?
About 2,206 mm (87 in) a year, more than almost every UK town. December is the wettest month (285 mm) and April the driest (112 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 Ambleside. 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 Ambleside →
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