Hardly any UK towns wake to more frost than Kirkby Stephen
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 19.0°C (66°F) on average. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 91% of UK towns. Temperatures cover 18°C across the year, low to high. Comfortable outdoor weather lasts from June to August, with highs of 17–19°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Kirkby Stephen at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Kirkby Stephen feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,174 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and April the driest. About 35 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more.
Rain by month
Millimetres
A frosty town: 57 air frosts and 4 days of 25°C a year
On about 57 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 2 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-west of Kirkby Stephen, 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 Kirkby Stephen 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkby Stephen | 19.0°C | 1.0°C | 1,174 mm |
| Appleby-in-Westmorland 9.3 mi | 19.4°C about the same | 1.1°C about the same | 869 mm |
Kirkby Stephen 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 | 6.0°C 43°F | 1.0°C 34°F | 3.6°C | 141 mm 5.6 in |
| February | 6.5°C 44°F | 0.9°C 34°F | 3.7°C | 116 mm 4.6 in |
| March | 8.5°C 47°F | 2.0°C 36°F | 5.3°C | 84 mm 3.3 in |
| April | 11.4°C 52°F | 3.5°C 38°F | 7.4°C | 59 mm 2.3 in |
| May | 14.6°C 58°F | 6.0°C 43°F | 10.4°C | 62 mm 2.4 in |
| June | 17.2°C 63°F | 8.9°C 48°F | 13.2°C | 69 mm 2.7 in |
| July | 19.0°C 66°F | 10.9°C 52°F | 15.0°C | 79 mm 3.1 in |
| August | 18.4°C 65°F | 10.8°C 51°F | 14.7°C | 96 mm 3.8 in |
| September | 16.0°C 61°F | 8.8°C 48°F | 12.5°C | 88 mm 3.5 in |
| October | 12.4°C 54°F | 6.2°C 43°F | 9.4°C | 110 mm 4.3 in |
| November | 8.7°C 48°F | 3.3°C 38°F | 6.1°C | 120 mm 4.7 in |
| December | 6.4°C 44°F | 1.1°C 34°F | 3.8°C | 150 mm 5.9 in |
| Year | 12.1°C | 5.3°C | 8.7°C | 1,174 mm |
Where Kirkby Stephen’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 Kirkby Stephen’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 Kirkby Stephen’s climate
How warm does Kirkby Stephen get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.0°C (66°F). About 4 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 83% of UK towns.
How cold does Kirkby Stephen get in winter?
February nights average 0.9°C (34°F). The air drops below freezing on about 57 nights a year, and about 2 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Kirkby Stephen get?
About 1,174 mm (46 in) a year, more than 88% of UK towns. December is the wettest month (150 mm) and April the driest (59 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 Kirkby Stephen. 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 Kirkby Stephen →
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.