Hardly any UK towns see softer January nights than Dawlish
July afternoons average 20.9°C (70°F). Days of 25°C are scarce: about 3 a year, fewer than in 86% of UK towns. Seasons differ by 18°C, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. Windscreens need scraping on about 15 mornings a year, the nights the air drops below 0°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Dawlish at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Dawlish feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 929 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and July the driest. About 26 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 39th wettest of 47 Devon towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
15 air frosts and 3 days of 25°C a year
On about 15 nights a year the air drops below freezing; days that stay below freezing are rare. 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 Chivenor
Chivenor is 46 miles north-west of Dawlish, 6 m (20 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 | 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 Dawlish 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawlish | 20.9°C | 3.9°C | 929 mm |
| Dawlish Warren 1.3 mi | 20.9°C about the same | 3.9°C about the same | 929 mm |
| Teignmouth 2.6 mi | 21.2°C about the same | 3.8°C about the same | 954 mm |
| Starcross 2.9 mi | 21.0°C about the same | 3.5°C about the same | 901 mm |
| Shaldon 3.7 mi | 21.2°C about the same | 3.8°C about the same | 954 mm |
| Bishopsteignton 4.0 mi | 21.2°C about the same | 3.4°C 0.5°C colder | 959 mm |
| Exmouth 4.3 mi | 21.2°C about the same | 3.7°C about the same | 807 mm |
Dawlish 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 | 9.4°C 49°F | 3.9°C 39°F | 6.6°C | 93 mm 3.7 in |
| February | 9.2°C 49°F | 3.3°C 38°F | 6.3°C | 77 mm 3.0 in |
| March | 10.9°C 52°F | 4.3°C 40°F | 7.6°C | 74 mm 2.9 in |
| April | 13.3°C 56°F | 5.2°C 41°F | 9.4°C | 63 mm 2.5 in |
| May | 16.0°C 61°F | 8.3°C 47°F | 12.1°C | 56 mm 2.2 in |
| June | 18.9°C 66°F | 11.0°C 52°F | 14.8°C | 61 mm 2.4 in |
| July | 20.9°C 70°F | 12.7°C 55°F | 16.7°C | 48 mm 1.9 in |
| August | 20.8°C 69°F | 13.0°C 55°F | 16.8°C | 68 mm 2.7 in |
| September | 18.7°C 66°F | 11.1°C 52°F | 14.9°C | 64 mm 2.5 in |
| October | 15.2°C 59°F | 8.9°C 48°F | 12.1°C | 109 mm 4.3 in |
| November | 11.9°C 53°F | 6.2°C 43°F | 9.0°C | 105 mm 4.1 in |
| December | 9.6°C 49°F | 4.1°C 39°F | 6.8°C | 110 mm 4.3 in |
| Year | 14.6°C | 7.7°C | 11.1°C | 929 mm |
Where Dawlish’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 Dawlish’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 Chivenor, 46 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 Dawlish’s climate
How warm does Dawlish get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 20.9°C (70°F). About 3 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 86% of UK towns.
How cold does Dawlish get in winter?
February nights average 3.3°C (38°F). The air drops below freezing on about 15 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Dawlish get?
About 929 mm (37 in) a year, more than 73% of UK towns. December is the wettest month (110 mm) and July the driest (48 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 Dawlish. 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 Dawlish →
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.