Kendal sits near the top of UK towns for rain, with 1,598 mm (63 in) a year
Expect July afternoons of about 19.4°C (67°F). About 53 nights a year bring a frost, more than in 92% of UK towns. Temperatures cover 18°C across the year, low to high. For walks and days out, the stretch from June to August brings highs of 18–19°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Kendal at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Kendal feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,598 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and April the driest. About 50 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 4th wettest of 23 Cumbria towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
A frosty town: 53 air frosts and 5 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 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 24 miles north of Kendal, 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 Kendal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kendal | 19.4°C | 1.2°C | 1,598 mm |
| Levens 4.3 mi | 20.1°C 0.6°C warmer | 1.3°C about the same | 1,408 mm |
| Staveley 4.7 mi | 19.2°C about the same | 1.0°C about the same | 1,716 mm |
| Milnthorpe 6.8 mi | 20.0°C 0.6°C warmer | 1.4°C about the same | 1,234 mm |
| Windermere 7.4 mi | 19.4°C about the same | 1.3°C about the same | 1,849 mm |
| Bowness-on-Windermere 7.5 mi | 19.6°C about the same | 1.2°C about the same | 1,698 mm |
| Holme 8.3 mi | 19.2°C about the same | 1.4°C about the same | 1,334 mm |
Kendal 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 | 160 mm 6.3 in |
| February | 7.0°C 45°F | 1.3°C 34°F | 4.1°C | 142 mm 5.6 in |
| March | 9.2°C 49°F | 2.3°C 36°F | 5.7°C | 118 mm 4.6 in |
| April | 12.1°C 54°F | 4.0°C 39°F | 8.0°C | 81 mm 3.2 in |
| May | 15.3°C 60°F | 6.5°C 44°F | 10.9°C | 86 mm 3.4 in |
| June | 17.8°C 64°F | 9.4°C 49°F | 13.5°C | 94 mm 3.7 in |
| July | 19.4°C 67°F | 11.3°C 52°F | 15.2°C | 114 mm 4.5 in |
| August | 18.9°C 66°F | 11.2°C 52°F | 14.9°C | 137 mm 5.4 in |
| September | 16.5°C 62°F | 9.0°C 48°F | 12.7°C | 133 mm 5.2 in |
| October | 12.9°C 55°F | 6.4°C 44°F | 9.6°C | 169 mm 6.6 in |
| November | 9.2°C 49°F | 3.4°C 38°F | 6.3°C | 171 mm 6.7 in |
| December | 6.8°C 44°F | 1.2°C 34°F | 4.0°C | 194 mm 7.6 in |
| Year | 12.6°C | 5.6°C | 9.1°C | 1,598 mm |
Where Kendal’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 2 Met Office 2 km grid squares whose centre lies inside Kendal’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, 24 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 Kendal’s climate
How warm does Kendal get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.4°C (67°F). About 5 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 76% of UK towns.
How cold does Kendal get in winter?
December 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 Kendal get?
About 1,598 mm (63 in) a year, more than 97% of UK towns. December is the wettest month (194 mm) and April the driest (81 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 Kendal. 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 Kendal →
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.