Few UK towns get more frosts than Shap
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 18.3°C (65°F). A year here swings 18°C from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in 98% of UK towns. For walks and days out, July and August bring highs of 18°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Shap at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Shap feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,409 mm of rain a year
January is the wettest month and April the driest. About 48 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more.
Rain by month
Millimetres
A frosty town: 71 air frosts and 2 days of 25°C a year
On about 71 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 3 days it stays below freezing all day. About 2 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 11 miles north-west of Shap, 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 Shap 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shap | 18.3°C | 0.5°C | 1,409 mm |
| Appleby-in-Westmorland 8.1 mi | 19.4°C 1.1°C warmer | 1.1°C 0.6°C milder | 869 mm |
| Penrith 9.7 mi | 19.9°C 1.7°C warmer | 0.8°C about the same | 966 mm |
Shap 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 | 5.5°C 42°F | 0.5°C 33°F | 2.9°C | 182 mm 7.2 in |
| February | 6.1°C 43°F | 0.5°C 33°F | 3.2°C | 130 mm 5.1 in |
| March | 8.1°C 47°F | 1.5°C 35°F | 4.7°C | 98 mm 3.9 in |
| April | 10.9°C 52°F | 3.1°C 38°F | 6.9°C | 72 mm 2.8 in |
| May | 13.9°C 57°F | 4.9°C 41°F | 9.4°C | 73 mm 2.9 in |
| June | 16.7°C 62°F | 8.4°C 47°F | 12.2°C | 82 mm 3.2 in |
| July | 18.3°C 65°F | 10.1°C 50°F | 14.2°C | 83 mm 3.3 in |
| August | 17.7°C 64°F | 9.9°C 50°F | 13.7°C | 108 mm 4.3 in |
| September | 15.6°C 60°F | 7.8°C 46°F | 11.7°C | 100 mm 4.0 in |
| October | 11.8°C 53°F | 5.6°C 42°F | 8.5°C | 142 mm 5.6 in |
| November | 8.2°C 47°F | 2.6°C 37°F | 5.4°C | 157 mm 6.2 in |
| December | 6.1°C 43°F | 0.5°C 33°F | 3.3°C | 180 mm 7.1 in |
| Year | 11.6°C | 4.6°C | 8.0°C | 1,409 mm |
Where Shap’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 Shap’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, 11 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 Shap’s climate
How warm does Shap get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 18.3°C (65°F). About 2 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 91% of UK towns.
How cold does Shap get in winter?
February nights average 0.5°C (33°F). The air drops below freezing on about 71 nights a year, and about 3 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Shap get?
About 1,409 mm (55 in) a year, more than 95% of UK towns. January is the wettest month (182 mm) and April the driest (72 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 Shap. 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 Shap →
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.