Ilfracombe is among the least frosty of UK towns
A typical January night drops to 5.0°C (41°F) and a July afternoon reaches 19.0°C (66°F); 1,295 mm (51 in) of rain falls in a year. Summers go the other way: afternoons in July are cooler than in 98% of UK towns. It is a wet place: more rain falls here than on 94% of UK towns.
A year in Ilfracombe at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Ilfracombe feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,295 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and May the driest. About 37 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 8th wettest of 47 Devon towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
5 air frosts and 3 days of 25°C a year
On about 5 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 8.0 miles south of Ilfracombe, 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 Ilfracombe compares
Against the 2,178 towns and cities of 2,500 or more in England and Wales, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ilfracombe | 19.0°C | 5.0°C | 1,295 mm |
| Chambercombe 0.8 mi | 19.0°C about the same | 4.8°C about the same | 1,296 mm |
| Combe Martin 4.0 mi | 17.7°C 1.3°C cooler | 3.8°C 1.2°C colder | 1,343 mm |
| Braunton 7.0 mi | 20.4°C 1.4°C warmer | 3.8°C 1.3°C colder | 956 mm |
| Chivenor and Wrafton 7.7 mi | 20.0°C 1.0°C warmer | 3.7°C 1.4°C colder | 1,083 mm |
| Bickington 9.2 mi | 20.8°C 1.8°C warmer | 3.4°C 1.6°C colder | 1,063 mm |
| Barnstaple 9.3 mi | 20.5°C 1.6°C warmer | 3.4°C 1.7°C colder | 1,093 mm |
Ilfracombe 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 | 5.0°C 41°F | 7.2°C | 118 mm 4.6 in |
| February | 8.5°C 47°F | 3.7°C 39°F | 6.2°C | 99 mm 3.9 in |
| March | 10.0°C 50°F | 4.6°C 40°F | 7.3°C | 88 mm 3.5 in |
| April | 12.4°C 54°F | 6.5°C 44°F | 9.2°C | 72 mm 2.8 in |
| May | 14.9°C 59°F | 8.4°C 47°F | 11.7°C | 71 mm 2.8 in |
| June | 17.3°C 63°F | 11.2°C 52°F | 14.2°C | 91 mm 3.6 in |
| July | 19.0°C 66°F | 13.2°C 56°F | 16.1°C | 87 mm 3.4 in |
| August | 19.1°C 66°F | 13.3°C 56°F | 16.4°C | 114 mm 4.5 in |
| September | 17.5°C 63°F | 12.2°C 54°F | 14.9°C | 106 mm 4.2 in |
| October | 14.7°C 58°F | 9.7°C 49°F | 12.2°C | 156 mm 6.2 in |
| November | 11.6°C 53°F | 7.1°C 45°F | 9.3°C | 148 mm 5.8 in |
| December | 9.4°C 49°F | 4.8°C 41°F | 7.1°C | 146 mm 5.7 in |
| Year | 13.6°C | 8.3°C | 11.0°C | 1,295 mm |
Where Ilfracombe’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 Ilfracombe’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, 8.0 miles away, months of 1991–2020 averaged.
- Comparisons: every town and city of 2,500 or more in England and Wales, read the same way.
Met Office HadUK-Grid · Met Office Climate Data Portal · Historic station data. Open Government Licence v3.0.
Questions about Ilfracombe’s climate
How warm does Ilfracombe get in summer?
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.1°C (66°F). About 3 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 97% of UK towns.
How cold does Ilfracombe get in winter?
February nights average 3.7°C (39°F). The air drops below freezing on about 5 nights a year, and about 0 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Ilfracombe get?
About 1,295 mm (51 in) a year, more than 94% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (156 mm) and May the driest (71 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 Ilfracombe. 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 Ilfracombe →
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.