Summer warmth: Carlisle logs fewer 25-degree days than 77% of UK towns
In January the night’s low is typically 1.8°C (35°F). Of all months, October brings the most rain and April the least. Of the 23 Cumbria towns, it is the driest. Expect about 42 frosty starts a year, nights when the air falls below freezing.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Carlisle at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Carlisle feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 846 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and April the driest. About 21 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 23rd wettest of 23 Cumbria towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
42 air frosts and 5 days of 25°C a year
On about 42 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 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 16 miles south of Carlisle, 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 Carlisle 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlisle | 20.0°C | 1.8°C | 846 mm |
| Houghton 2.4 mi | 20.0°C about the same | 1.8°C about the same | 903 mm |
| Scotby 2.6 mi | 20.1°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 840 mm |
| Dalston 3.6 mi | 19.7°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 889 mm |
| Wetheral 4.1 mi | 19.6°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 797 mm |
| Warwick Bridge 5.0 mi | 19.8°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 890 mm |
| Longtown 8.4 mi | 20.3°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 949 mm |
Carlisle 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 | 7.2°C 45°F | 1.8°C 35°F | 4.6°C | 77 mm 3.0 in |
| February | 7.9°C 46°F | 1.8°C 35°F | 4.9°C | 60 mm 2.4 in |
| March | 9.9°C 50°F | 2.8°C 37°F | 6.4°C | 55 mm 2.1 in |
| April | 12.7°C 55°F | 4.5°C 40°F | 8.6°C | 45 mm 1.8 in |
| May | 15.8°C 60°F | 6.9°C 44°F | 11.4°C | 53 mm 2.1 in |
| June | 18.2°C 65°F | 9.9°C 50°F | 14.0°C | 69 mm 2.7 in |
| July | 20.0°C 68°F | 11.7°C 53°F | 15.8°C | 76 mm 3.0 in |
| August | 19.6°C 67°F | 11.6°C 53°F | 15.6°C | 85 mm 3.3 in |
| September | 17.2°C 63°F | 9.6°C 49°F | 13.4°C | 72 mm 2.9 in |
| October | 13.6°C 57°F | 6.8°C 44°F | 10.2°C | 88 mm 3.5 in |
| November | 9.9°C 50°F | 3.9°C 39°F | 6.9°C | 80 mm 3.2 in |
| December | 7.4°C 45°F | 1.6°C 35°F | 4.5°C | 87 mm 3.4 in |
| Year | 13.3°C | 6.1°C | 9.7°C | 846 mm |
Where Carlisle’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 7 Met Office 2 km grid squares whose centre lies inside Carlisle’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, 16 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 Carlisle’s climate
How warm does Carlisle get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 20.0°C (68°F). About 5 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 77% of UK towns.
How cold does Carlisle get in winter?
December nights average 1.6°C (35°F). The air drops below freezing on about 42 nights a year, and about 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Carlisle get?
About 846 mm (33 in) a year, more than 62% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (88 mm) and April the driest (45 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 Carlisle. 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 Carlisle →
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