Afternoon heat in Whitehaven trails that of 89% of UK towns
January nights here settle around 2.2°C (36°F). Frosty nights are scarcer than in 88% of UK towns. Seasons differ by 17°C, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. The heating season runs November to April: each of those months averages under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Whitehaven at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Whitehaven feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,106 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and April the driest. About 35 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 14th wettest of 23 Cumbria towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
27 air frosts and 3 days of 25°C a year
On about 27 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 3 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 33 miles east of Whitehaven, 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 Whitehaven 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitehaven | 19.2°C | 2.2°C | 1,106 mm |
| Moresby Parks 1.8 mi | 19.2°C about the same | 2.0°C about the same | 1,115 mm |
| Cleator Moor 2.7 mi | 18.4°C 0.7°C cooler | 2.0°C about the same | 1,382 mm |
| Frizington 3.4 mi | 18.4°C 0.8°C cooler | 1.7°C about the same | 1,392 mm |
| St Bees 3.5 mi | 18.7°C about the same | 2.4°C about the same | 1,072 mm |
| Distington 4.2 mi | 18.8°C about the same | 2.0°C about the same | 1,205 mm |
| Egremont 4.3 mi | 18.8°C about the same | 2.1°C about the same | 1,361 mm |
Whitehaven 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 | 2.2°C 36°F | 4.7°C | 104 mm 4.1 in |
| February | 7.8°C 46°F | 2.3°C 36°F | 5.1°C | 80 mm 3.1 in |
| March | 9.5°C 49°F | 3.3°C 38°F | 6.4°C | 76 mm 3.0 in |
| April | 12.1°C 54°F | 4.6°C 40°F | 8.4°C | 57 mm 2.3 in |
| May | 15.6°C 60°F | 7.2°C 45°F | 11.4°C | 67 mm 2.6 in |
| June | 17.7°C 64°F | 10.0°C 50°F | 13.8°C | 75 mm 2.9 in |
| July | 19.2°C 66°F | 12.1°C 54°F | 15.6°C | 84 mm 3.3 in |
| August | 19.0°C 66°F | 12.0°C 54°F | 15.6°C | 103 mm 4.1 in |
| September | 17.2°C 63°F | 10.3°C 51°F | 13.8°C | 96 mm 3.8 in |
| October | 13.9°C 57°F | 7.9°C 46°F | 10.8°C | 132 mm 5.2 in |
| November | 10.4°C 51°F | 5.0°C 41°F | 7.7°C | 121 mm 4.8 in |
| December | 8.2°C 47°F | 2.9°C 37°F | 5.6°C | 111 mm 4.4 in |
| Year | 13.1°C | 6.6°C | 9.9°C | 1,106 mm |
Where Whitehaven’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 3 Met Office 2 km grid squares whose centre lies inside Whitehaven’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, 33 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 Whitehaven’s climate
How warm does Whitehaven get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.2°C (66°F). About 3 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 89% of UK towns.
How cold does Whitehaven get in winter?
January nights average 2.2°C (36°F). The air drops below freezing on about 27 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Whitehaven get?
About 1,106 mm (44 in) a year, more than 85% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (132 mm) and April the driest (57 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 Whitehaven. 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 Whitehaven →
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