Ice on the ground: Alderholt sees more frosts than 94% of UK towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 22.3°C (72°F). Expect the heaviest rain in November and the lightest in July. None of its 6 nearest neighbours gets more rain. The heating season runs November to April: each of those months averages under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Alderholt at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Alderholt feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 947 mm of rain a year
November is the wettest month and July the driest. About 31 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 8th wettest of 32 Dorset towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Hurn (Bournemouth Airport)
A frosty town: 56 air frosts and 15 days of 25°C a year
On about 56 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 15 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 Hurn (Bournemouth Airport)
Hurn (Bournemouth Airport) is 9.2 miles south of Alderholt, 10 m (33 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 | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8.8°C | 1.8°C | 96 mm | 11.1 | 65 |
| February | 9.1°C | 1.6°C | 67 mm | 10.9 | 80 |
| March | 11.4°C | 2.8°C | 62 mm | 8.3 | 122 |
| April | 14.2°C | 4.3°C | 58 mm | 4.7 | 178 |
| May | 17.4°C | 7.3°C | 49 mm | 0.6 | 211 |
| June | 20.1°C | 10.2°C | 54 mm | 0.0 | 217 |
| July | 22.3°C | 12.2°C | 50 mm | 0.0 | 221 |
| August | 22.0°C | 12.0°C | 60 mm | 0.0 | 198 |
| September | 19.6°C | 9.6°C | 69 mm | 0.0 | 156 |
| October | 15.6°C | 7.4°C | 101 mm | 2.2 | 108 |
| November | 11.8°C | 4.1°C | 108 mm | 6.9 | 76 |
| December | 9.2°C | 2.0°C | 104 mm | 11.6 | 59 |
| Year | 15.1°C | 6.3°C | 877 mm | 56 | 1,690 |
Met Office historic station data, Hurn, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Kipp & Zonen recorder.
How Alderholt 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 Dorset 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alderholt | 22.3°C | 1.6°C | 947 mm |
| Sandleheath 1.6 mi | 22.3°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 924 mm |
| Fordingbridge 2.2 mi | 22.3°C about the same | 1.7°C about the same | 902 mm |
| Verwood 3.1 mi | 22.6°C about the same | 1.8°C about the same | 911 mm |
| Three Legged Cross 4.7 mi | 22.5°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 909 mm |
| Ringwood 4.9 mi | 22.5°C about the same | 1.8°C about the same | 915 mm |
| Ashley Heath 5.3 mi | 22.3°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 916 mm |
Alderholt 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 | 8.3°C 47°F | 1.6°C 35°F | 4.9°C | 104 mm 4.1 in |
| February | 8.7°C 48°F | 1.4°C 35°F | 5.0°C | 73 mm 2.9 in |
| March | 11.3°C 52°F | 2.3°C 36°F | 6.8°C | 67 mm 2.7 in |
| April | 14.2°C 58°F | 3.8°C 39°F | 9.1°C | 64 mm 2.5 in |
| May | 17.5°C 64°F | 6.8°C 44°F | 12.2°C | 56 mm 2.2 in |
| June | 20.3°C 68°F | 9.2°C 49°F | 14.8°C | 59 mm 2.3 in |
| July | 22.3°C 72°F | 11.4°C 53°F | 17.0°C | 55 mm 2.2 in |
| August | 22.0°C 72°F | 11.3°C 52°F | 16.7°C | 67 mm 2.7 in |
| September | 19.5°C 67°F | 9.1°C 48°F | 14.2°C | 68 mm 2.7 in |
| October | 15.4°C 60°F | 6.7°C 44°F | 11.0°C | 106 mm 4.2 in |
| November | 11.4°C 52°F | 3.6°C 39°F | 7.5°C | 117 mm 4.6 in |
| December | 8.7°C 48°F | 1.9°C 35°F | 5.3°C | 110 mm 4.3 in |
| Year | 15.0°C | 5.8°C | 10.4°C | 947 mm |
Where Alderholt’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 Alderholt’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 Hurn, 9.2 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 Alderholt’s climate
How warm does Alderholt get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 22.3°C (72°F). About 15 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), more than 74% of UK towns.
How cold does Alderholt get in winter?
February nights average 1.4°C (35°F). The air drops below freezing on about 56 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Alderholt get?
About 947 mm (37 in) a year, more than 74% of UK towns. November is the wettest month (117 mm) and July the driest (55 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Hurn (Bournemouth Airport) (9.2 miles away), averages 1,690 hours of bright sunshine a year. Sunshine isn’t on the town grid, so this is the station’s figure.
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 Alderholt. 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 Alderholt →
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