Photo: Graham Robson · CC BY-SA 2.0Wet weather: 1,337 mm (53 in) a year falls on Cockermouth, more than on 94% of UK towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 18.9°C (66°F). Winter and summer sit 18°C apart. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 93% of UK towns. Long walks are most pleasant from June to August, when afternoons reach 17–19°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Cockermouth at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Cockermouth feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,337 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and April the driest. About 39 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 8th wettest of 23 Cumbria towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
A frosty town: 54 air frosts and 4 days of 25°C a year
On about 54 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 23 miles east of Cockermouth, 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 Cockermouth 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cockermouth | 18.9°C | 1.3°C | 1,337 mm |
| Great Broughton and Little Broughton 2.9 mi | 18.7°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 1,138 mm |
| Dearham 4.6 mi | 18.8°C about the same | 1.9°C 0.6°C milder | 1,040 mm |
| Maryport 6.0 mi | 18.8°C about the same | 2.1°C 0.8°C milder | 1,045 mm |
| Stainburn 6.4 mi | 19.3°C about the same | 2.0°C 0.6°C milder | 1,082 mm |
| Flimby 6.4 mi | 18.7°C about the same | 2.3°C 1.0°C milder | 1,148 mm |
| Seaton 6.5 mi | 19.3°C about the same | 2.5°C 1.2°C milder | 1,078 mm |
Cockermouth 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 | 1.3°C 34°F | 4.0°C | 124 mm 4.9 in |
| February | 7.0°C 45°F | 1.1°C 34°F | 4.1°C | 107 mm 4.2 in |
| March | 8.9°C 48°F | 2.3°C 36°F | 5.6°C | 95 mm 3.7 in |
| April | 11.8°C 53°F | 3.7°C 39°F | 7.8°C | 71 mm 2.8 in |
| May | 15.0°C 59°F | 6.2°C 43°F | 10.6°C | 74 mm 2.9 in |
| June | 17.3°C 63°F | 9.1°C 48°F | 13.2°C | 88 mm 3.5 in |
| July | 18.9°C 66°F | 11.1°C 52°F | 14.9°C | 101 mm 4.0 in |
| August | 18.5°C 65°F | 11.0°C 52°F | 14.7°C | 112 mm 4.4 in |
| September | 16.3°C 61°F | 9.1°C 48°F | 12.7°C | 118 mm 4.6 in |
| October | 12.8°C 55°F | 6.3°C 43°F | 9.6°C | 152 mm 6.0 in |
| November | 9.3°C 49°F | 3.5°C 38°F | 6.4°C | 147 mm 5.8 in |
| December | 6.9°C 44°F | 1.3°C 34°F | 4.1°C | 149 mm 5.9 in |
| Year | 12.4°C | 5.5°C | 9.0°C | 1,337 mm |
Where Cockermouth’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 Cockermouth’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, 23 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 Cockermouth’s climate
How warm does Cockermouth get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 18.9°C (66°F). About 4 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 80% of UK towns.
How cold does Cockermouth get in winter?
February nights average 1.1°C (34°F). The air drops below freezing on about 54 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Cockermouth get?
About 1,337 mm (53 in) a year, more than 94% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (152 mm) and April the driest (71 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 Cockermouth. 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 Cockermouth →
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