Hardly any UK towns collect more rain than Princetown: 2,024 mm (80 in) a year
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 18.1°C (65°F). Rain peaks in December and eases off in May. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 98% of UK towns. Gritters and ice scrapers earn their keep on roughly 39 nights a year below 0°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Princetown at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Princetown feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 2,024 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and May the driest. About 73 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more.
Rain by month
Millimetres
39 air frosts and 2 days of 25°C a year
On about 39 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 3 days it stays below freezing all day. About 2 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 38 miles north of Princetown, 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 Princetown 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princetown | 18.1°C | 1.6°C | 2,024 mm |
| Horrabridge 5.3 mi | 20.5°C 2.4°C warmer | 2.5°C 0.9°C milder | 1,465 mm |
| Yelverton 5.6 mi | 20.1°C 2.0°C warmer | 2.2°C 0.6°C milder | 1,456 mm |
| Tavistock 6.5 mi | 20.4°C 2.3°C warmer | 2.8°C 1.2°C milder | 1,559 mm |
| Bere Alston 9.7 mi | 20.7°C 2.6°C warmer | 2.5°C 0.9°C milder | 1,350 mm |
| Gunnislake and St Ann's Chapel 10.1 mi | 20.9°C 2.8°C warmer | 2.8°C 1.2°C milder | 1,323 mm |
| Buckfastleigh 10.4 mi | 20.0°C 1.9°C warmer | 3.2°C 1.6°C milder | 1,916 mm |
Princetown 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 | 6.4°C 43°F | 1.6°C 35°F | 4.0°C | 231 mm 9.1 in |
| February | 6.2°C 43°F | 1.1°C 34°F | 3.7°C | 170 mm 6.7 in |
| March | 8.1°C 47°F | 2.1°C 36°F | 5.1°C | 144 mm 5.7 in |
| April | 11.0°C 52°F | 3.6°C 39°F | 7.3°C | 121 mm 4.8 in |
| May | 13.8°C 57°F | 6.3°C 43°F | 10.1°C | 112 mm 4.4 in |
| June | 16.4°C 62°F | 9.0°C 48°F | 12.7°C | 124 mm 4.9 in |
| July | 18.1°C 65°F | 10.9°C 52°F | 14.6°C | 146 mm 5.7 in |
| August | 17.9°C 64°F | 11.1°C 52°F | 14.5°C | 152 mm 6.0 in |
| September | 15.8°C 60°F | 9.3°C 49°F | 12.6°C | 143 mm 5.6 in |
| October | 12.4°C 54°F | 6.9°C 44°F | 9.8°C | 215 mm 8.5 in |
| November | 9.0°C 48°F | 4.1°C 39°F | 6.6°C | 224 mm 8.8 in |
| December | 6.8°C 44°F | 2.1°C 36°F | 4.5°C | 243 mm 9.6 in |
| Year | 11.8°C | 5.7°C | 8.8°C | 2,024 mm |
Where Princetown’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 Princetown’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, 38 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 Princetown’s climate
How warm does Princetown get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 18.1°C (65°F). About 2 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 95% of UK towns.
How cold does Princetown get in winter?
February nights average 1.1°C (34°F). The air drops below freezing on about 39 nights a year, and about 3 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Princetown get?
About 2,024 mm (80 in) a year, more than almost every UK town. December is the wettest month (243 mm) and May the driest (112 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 Princetown. 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 Princetown →
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.