Wet weather: 1,279 mm (50 in) a year falls on Swarthmoor, more than on 92% of UK towns
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 19.9°C (68°F). Its July afternoons stay fresher than in 77% of UK towns. November is the wettest month, April the driest. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to April, when means dip under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Swarthmoor at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Swarthmoor feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,279 mm of rain a year
November is the wettest month and April the driest. About 41 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more.
Rain by month
Millimetres
44 air frosts and 6 days of 25°C a year
On about 44 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 6 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 36 miles north of Swarthmoor, 169 m (554 ft) above sea level. It is the nearest of the 37 long-running stations the Met Office publishes in full; at that distance read it for sunshine and the station’s own record, not as the town’s figures.
| 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 Swarthmoor 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swarthmoor | 19.9°C | 1.4°C | 1,279 mm |
| Ulverston 1.1 mi | 19.9°C about the same | 1.7°C about the same | 1,280 mm |
| Dalton-in-Furness 3.3 mi | 19.3°C 0.6°C cooler | 2.1°C 0.6°C milder | 1,195 mm |
| Askam in Furness 3.7 mi | 19.8°C about the same | 2.3°C 0.8°C milder | 1,179 mm |
| Barrow-in-Furness 6.3 mi | 19.7°C about the same | 2.4°C 1.0°C milder | 1,059 mm |
| Millom 6.4 mi | 19.6°C about the same | 2.4°C 0.9°C milder | 1,355 mm |
| Allithwaite 7.0 mi | 20.0°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 1,135 mm |
Swarthmoor 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 | 7.0°C 45°F | 1.4°C 35°F | 4.2°C | 120 mm 4.7 in |
| February | 7.6°C 46°F | 1.5°C 35°F | 4.5°C | 94 mm 3.7 in |
| March | 9.5°C 49°F | 2.4°C 36°F | 6.0°C | 86 mm 3.4 in |
| April | 12.6°C 55°F | 4.0°C 39°F | 8.3°C | 68 mm 2.7 in |
| May | 16.0°C 61°F | 6.8°C 44°F | 11.4°C | 72 mm 2.8 in |
| June | 18.5°C 65°F | 9.6°C 49°F | 14.0°C | 84 mm 3.3 in |
| July | 19.9°C 68°F | 11.4°C 52°F | 15.7°C | 103 mm 4.0 in |
| August | 19.7°C 67°F | 11.5°C 53°F | 15.6°C | 116 mm 4.5 in |
| September | 17.4°C 63°F | 9.7°C 50°F | 13.6°C | 113 mm 4.4 in |
| October | 13.8°C 57°F | 6.7°C 44°F | 10.3°C | 142 mm 5.6 in |
| November | 10.2°C 50°F | 3.9°C 39°F | 7.0°C | 142 mm 5.6 in |
| December | 7.4°C 45°F | 1.3°C 34°F | 4.3°C | 140 mm 5.5 in |
| Year | 13.3°C | 5.9°C | 9.6°C | 1,279 mm |
Where Swarthmoor’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 Swarthmoor’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, 36 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 Swarthmoor’s climate
How warm does Swarthmoor get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.9°C (68°F). About 6 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 73% of UK towns.
How cold does Swarthmoor get in winter?
December nights average 1.3°C (34°F). The air drops below freezing on about 44 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Swarthmoor get?
About 1,279 mm (50 in) a year, more than 92% of UK towns. November is the wettest month (142 mm) and April the driest (68 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 Swarthmoor. 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 Swarthmoor →
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.