Plymouth has some of the mildest winter nights among UK towns
January nights average 3.6°C (38°F), July afternoons 20.9°C (70°F), and a year brings 1,128 mm (44 in) of rain. Rain is plentiful here, more than falls on 89% of UK towns. Summers, though, bring few warm days: about 6 a year reach 25°C, fewer than in 85% of UK towns.
A year in Plymouth at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Plymouth feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,128 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and May the driest. About 37 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 14th wettest of 47 Devon towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
19 air frosts and 6 days of 25°C a year
On about 19 nights a year the air drops below freezing; days that stay below freezing are rare. 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 Chivenor
Chivenor is 48 miles north of Plymouth, 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 Plymouth 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plymouth | 20.9°C | 3.6°C | 1,128 mm |
| Torpoint 3.6 mi | 21.1°C about the same | 3.6°C about the same | 1,087 mm |
| Sherford 3.8 mi | 20.4°C 0.5°C cooler | 3.4°C about the same | 1,166 mm |
| Saltash 4.5 mi | 21.1°C about the same | 3.5°C about the same | 1,092 mm |
| Millbrook 4.9 mi | 20.6°C about the same | 3.7°C about the same | 1,068 mm |
| Wembury 5.1 mi | 20.1°C 0.9°C cooler | 3.6°C about the same | 1,121 mm |
| Yealmpton 6.2 mi | 20.2°C 0.8°C cooler | 3.5°C about the same | 1,220 mm |
Plymouth 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 | 9.1°C 48°F | 3.6°C 38°F | 6.3°C | 121 mm 4.8 in |
| February | 9.3°C 49°F | 3.4°C 38°F | 6.3°C | 96 mm 3.8 in |
| March | 11.0°C 52°F | 4.4°C 40°F | 7.7°C | 80 mm 3.2 in |
| April | 13.7°C 57°F | 5.8°C 43°F | 9.7°C | 72 mm 2.8 in |
| May | 16.4°C 62°F | 8.4°C 47°F | 12.4°C | 66 mm 2.6 in |
| June | 19.0°C 66°F | 11.1°C 52°F | 15.0°C | 71 mm 2.8 in |
| July | 20.9°C 70°F | 12.9°C 55°F | 16.9°C | 74 mm 2.9 in |
| August | 20.7°C 69°F | 12.9°C 55°F | 16.7°C | 87 mm 3.4 in |
| September | 18.7°C 66°F | 11.2°C 52°F | 14.9°C | 76 mm 3.0 in |
| October | 15.2°C 59°F | 8.9°C 48°F | 12.0°C | 123 mm 4.8 in |
| November | 11.9°C 53°F | 6.0°C 43°F | 8.9°C | 129 mm 5.1 in |
| December | 9.6°C 49°F | 4.1°C 39°F | 6.9°C | 135 mm 5.3 in |
| Year | 14.6°C | 7.7°C | 11.1°C | 1,128 mm |
Where Plymouth’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 18 Met Office 2 km grid squares whose centre lies inside Plymouth’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, 48 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 Plymouth’s climate
How warm does Plymouth get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 20.9°C (70°F). About 6 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 85% of UK towns.
How cold does Plymouth get in winter?
February nights average 3.4°C (38°F). The air drops below freezing on about 19 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Plymouth get?
About 1,128 mm (44 in) a year, more than 89% of UK towns. December is the wettest month (135 mm) and May the driest (66 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 Plymouth. 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 Plymouth →
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