Photo: Andrew Abbott · CC BY-SA 2.0Few UK towns get more rain than Bowness-on-Windermere: 1,698 mm (67 in) a year
January nights here settle around 1.2°C (34°F). About 53 nights a year bring a frost, more than in 92% of UK towns. Seasons differ by 18°C, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from October to April, when means dip under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Bowness-on-Windermere at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Bowness-on-Windermere feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,698 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and April the driest. About 62 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more.
Rain by month
Millimetres
A frosty town: 53 air frosts and 4 days of 25°C a year
On about 53 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 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 22 miles north of Bowness-on-Windermere, 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 Bowness-on-Windermere 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowness-on-Windermere | 19.6°C | 1.2°C | 1,698 mm |
| Windermere 0.9 mi | 19.4°C about the same | 1.3°C about the same | 1,849 mm |
| Staveley 4.0 mi | 19.2°C about the same | 1.0°C about the same | 1,716 mm |
| Ambleside 5.0 mi | 19.1°C 0.6°C cooler | 1.9°C 0.7°C milder | 2,206 mm |
| Kendal 7.5 mi | 19.4°C about the same | 1.2°C about the same | 1,598 mm |
| Levens 8.4 mi | 20.1°C about the same | 1.3°C about the same | 1,408 mm |
| Milnthorpe 11.1 mi | 20.0°C about the same | 1.4°C about the same | 1,234 mm |
Bowness-on-Windermere 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 | 6.5°C 44°F | 1.2°C 34°F | 3.8°C | 194 mm 7.6 in |
| February | 7.5°C 45°F | 1.6°C 35°F | 4.5°C | 150 mm 5.9 in |
| March | 9.5°C 49°F | 2.6°C 37°F | 6.0°C | 132 mm 5.2 in |
| April | 12.4°C 54°F | 4.1°C 39°F | 8.2°C | 86 mm 3.4 in |
| May | 15.5°C 60°F | 6.6°C 44°F | 11.0°C | 89 mm 3.5 in |
| June | 18.1°C 65°F | 9.5°C 49°F | 13.7°C | 95 mm 3.8 in |
| July | 19.6°C 67°F | 11.4°C 52°F | 15.4°C | 114 mm 4.5 in |
| August | 19.2°C 67°F | 11.2°C 52°F | 15.2°C | 136 mm 5.4 in |
| September | 16.6°C 62°F | 9.2°C 49°F | 12.9°C | 138 mm 5.4 in |
| October | 13.1°C 56°F | 6.5°C 44°F | 9.9°C | 178 mm 7.0 in |
| November | 9.7°C 49°F | 3.8°C 39°F | 6.7°C | 182 mm 7.2 in |
| December | 7.1°C 45°F | 1.5°C 35°F | 4.4°C | 204 mm 8.0 in |
| Year | 12.9°C | 5.8°C | 9.3°C | 1,698 mm |
Where Bowness-on-Windermere’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 Bowness-on-Windermere’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, 22 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 Bowness-on-Windermere’s climate
How warm does Bowness-on-Windermere get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.6°C (67°F). About 4 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 79% of UK towns.
How cold does Bowness-on-Windermere get in winter?
January nights average 1.2°C (34°F). The air drops below freezing on about 53 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Bowness-on-Windermere get?
About 1,698 mm (67 in) a year, more than 98% of UK towns. December is the wettest month (204 mm) and April the driest (86 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 Bowness-on-Windermere. 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 Bowness-on-Windermere →
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.