Few UK towns get more frosts than Bolton
High summer brings afternoon highs near 19.2°C (67°F). Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 89% of UK towns. Expect the heaviest rain in December and the lightest in April. Garden chairs stay out from June to August, the months with highs of 18–19°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Bolton at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Bolton feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 785 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and April the driest. About 20 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more.
Rain by month
Millimetres
A frosty town: 59 air frosts and 4 days of 25°C a year
On about 59 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 4 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 10 miles north-west of Bolton, 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 Bolton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bolton | 19.2°C | 0.8°C | 785 mm |
| Appleby-in-Westmorland 3.3 mi | 19.4°C about the same | 1.1°C about the same | 869 mm |
| Penrith 8.6 mi | 19.9°C 0.8°C warmer | 0.8°C about the same | 966 mm |
Bolton 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 | 6.4°C 44°F | 0.8°C 34°F | 3.7°C | 86 mm 3.4 in |
| February | 7.1°C 45°F | 1.0°C 34°F | 4.1°C | 61 mm 2.4 in |
| March | 8.9°C 48°F | 1.9°C 35°F | 5.5°C | 50 mm 2.0 in |
| April | 11.7°C 53°F | 3.4°C 38°F | 7.5°C | 42 mm 1.6 in |
| May | 15.0°C 59°F | 6.0°C 43°F | 10.6°C | 46 mm 1.8 in |
| June | 17.7°C 64°F | 8.9°C 48°F | 13.3°C | 55 mm 2.2 in |
| July | 19.2°C 67°F | 10.8°C 51°F | 15.0°C | 61 mm 2.4 in |
| August | 18.6°C 65°F | 10.6°C 51°F | 14.6°C | 73 mm 2.9 in |
| September | 16.3°C 61°F | 8.6°C 47°F | 12.5°C | 61 mm 2.4 in |
| October | 12.7°C 55°F | 5.9°C 43°F | 9.4°C | 80 mm 3.1 in |
| November | 9.1°C 48°F | 3.0°C 37°F | 6.1°C | 83 mm 3.3 in |
| December | 6.7°C 44°F | 0.8°C 33°F | 3.8°C | 88 mm 3.5 in |
| Year | 12.4°C | 5.2°C | 8.8°C | 785 mm |
Where Bolton’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 Bolton’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, 10 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 Bolton’s climate
How warm does Bolton get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.2°C (67°F). About 4 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 82% of UK towns.
How cold does Bolton get in winter?
December nights average 0.8°C (33°F). The air drops below freezing on about 59 nights a year, and about 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Bolton get?
About 785 mm (31 in) a year, more than 52% of UK towns. December is the wettest month (88 mm) and April 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 Bolton. 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 Bolton →
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