Barnstaple has some of the mildest winter nights among UK towns
July afternoons average 20.5°C (69°F). Its yearly rainfall tops that of 84% of UK towns. Of all months, December brings the most rain and May the least. Plan time outside from June to September, when highs sit at 18–21°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Barnstaple at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Barnstaple feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,093 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and May the driest. About 31 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 17th wettest of 47 Devon towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
26 air frosts and 9 days of 25°C a year
On about 26 nights a year the air drops below freezing; days that stay below freezing are rare. About 9 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 Chivenor
Chivenor is 4.0 miles west of Barnstaple, 6 m (20 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 | 9.1°C | 3.6°C | 91 mm | 5.4 |
| February | 9.4°C | 3.4°C | 70 mm | 5.0 |
| March | 11.2°C | 4.5°C | 60 mm | 2.6 |
| April | 13.7°C | 5.9°C | 56 mm | 0.9 |
| May | 16.5°C | 8.6°C | 55 mm | 0.0 |
| June | 19.0°C | 11.4°C | 68 mm | 0.0 |
| July | 20.7°C | 13.3°C | 74 mm | 0.0 |
| August | 20.5°C | 13.4°C | 77 mm | 0.0 |
| September | 18.8°C | 11.5°C | 70 mm | 0.0 |
| October | 15.4°C | 9.1°C | 107 mm | 0.4 |
| November | 12.1°C | 6.2°C | 106 mm | 1.8 |
| December | 9.9°C | 4.3°C | 107 mm | 4.6 |
| Year | 14.7°C | 7.9°C | 941 mm | 21 |
Met Office historic station data, Chivenor, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Campbell-Stokes recorder.
How Barnstaple 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 Devon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnstaple | 20.5°C | 3.4°C | 1,093 mm |
| Bickington 1.8 mi | 20.8°C about the same | 3.4°C about the same | 1,063 mm |
| Landkey 2.5 mi | 20.7°C about the same | 2.7°C 0.7°C colder | 1,107 mm |
| Fremington 3.4 mi | 19.9°C 0.6°C cooler | 3.7°C about the same | 1,085 mm |
| Chivenor and Wrafton 3.9 mi | 20.0°C 0.5°C cooler | 3.7°C about the same | 1,083 mm |
| Braunton 5.2 mi | 20.4°C about the same | 3.8°C about the same | 956 mm |
| Appledore 6.4 mi | 20.2°C about the same | 3.6°C about the same | 1,090 mm |
Barnstaple 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 | 8.8°C 48°F | 3.4°C 38°F | 6.0°C | 109 mm 4.3 in |
| February | 8.9°C 48°F | 3.1°C 38°F | 6.0°C | 84 mm 3.3 in |
| March | 11.1°C 52°F | 4.3°C 40°F | 7.5°C | 73 mm 2.9 in |
| April | 13.6°C 56°F | 6.1°C 43°F | 9.5°C | 62 mm 2.4 in |
| May | 16.7°C 62°F | 8.4°C 47°F | 12.5°C | 62 mm 2.4 in |
| June | 19.1°C 66°F | 11.1°C 52°F | 15.0°C | 74 mm 2.9 in |
| July | 20.5°C 69°F | 13.0°C 55°F | 16.7°C | 81 mm 3.2 in |
| August | 20.3°C 69°F | 12.7°C 55°F | 16.6°C | 94 mm 3.7 in |
| September | 18.2°C 65°F | 11.3°C 52°F | 14.9°C | 81 mm 3.2 in |
| October | 15.0°C 59°F | 8.6°C 47°F | 11.8°C | 123 mm 4.8 in |
| November | 11.6°C 53°F | 5.9°C 43°F | 8.6°C | 125 mm 4.9 in |
| December | 9.3°C 49°F | 3.7°C 39°F | 6.4°C | 127 mm 5.0 in |
| Year | 14.4°C | 7.6°C | 11.0°C | 1,093 mm |
Where Barnstaple’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 4 Met Office 2 km grid squares whose centre lies inside Barnstaple’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 Chivenor, 4.0 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 Barnstaple’s climate
How warm does Barnstaple get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 20.5°C (69°F). About 9 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 60% of UK towns.
How cold does Barnstaple get in winter?
February nights average 3.1°C (38°F). The air drops below freezing on about 26 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Barnstaple get?
About 1,093 mm (43 in) a year, more than 84% of UK towns. December is the wettest month (127 mm) and May the driest (62 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 Barnstaple. 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 Barnstaple →
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.