Summer arrives in force in Merley, hotter than in 78% of UK towns
Winter’s chill peaks in January, at about 2.3°C (36°F) after dark. By January nights alone, it runs milder than 78% of UK towns. A year here swings 20°C from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. The outdoor season runs from June to September, with highs of 20–22°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Merley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Merley feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 938 mm of rain a year
November is the wettest month and May the driest. About 30 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 10th wettest of 32 Dorset towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Hurn (Bournemouth Airport)
41 air frosts and 16 days of 25°C a year
On about 41 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 16 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 5.8 miles east of Merley, 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 Merley 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merley | 22.5°C | 2.3°C | 938 mm |
| Wimborne Minster 1.5 mi | 22.4°C about the same | 2.1°C about the same | 912 mm |
| Bearwood 1.9 mi | 22.7°C about the same | 2.4°C about the same | 909 mm |
| Corfe Mullen 2.5 mi | 22.5°C about the same | 2.2°C about the same | 945 mm |
| Poole 3.4 mi | 22.0°C about the same | 3.0°C 0.7°C milder | 919 mm |
| Ferndown 3.5 mi | 22.4°C about the same | 2.1°C about the same | 904 mm |
| West Parley 3.6 mi | 22.5°C about the same | 2.1°C about the same | 902 mm |
Merley 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 | 8.7°C 48°F | 2.3°C 36°F | 5.5°C | 101 mm 4.0 in |
| February | 9.3°C 49°F | 2.3°C 36°F | 5.7°C | 74 mm 2.9 in |
| March | 11.6°C 53°F | 3.3°C 38°F | 7.5°C | 65 mm 2.6 in |
| April | 14.6°C 58°F | 4.8°C 41°F | 9.7°C | 62 mm 2.4 in |
| May | 17.8°C 64°F | 7.6°C 46°F | 12.7°C | 54 mm 2.1 in |
| June | 20.4°C 69°F | 10.4°C 51°F | 15.4°C | 56 mm 2.2 in |
| July | 22.5°C 72°F | 12.3°C 54°F | 17.4°C | 54 mm 2.1 in |
| August | 22.3°C 72°F | 12.2°C 54°F | 17.2°C | 62 mm 2.4 in |
| September | 19.8°C 68°F | 10.1°C 50°F | 14.9°C | 70 mm 2.8 in |
| October | 15.9°C 61°F | 7.8°C 46°F | 11.8°C | 110 mm 4.3 in |
| November | 12.0°C 54°F | 4.8°C 41°F | 8.4°C | 117 mm 4.6 in |
| December | 9.3°C 49°F | 2.7°C 37°F | 6.0°C | 114 mm 4.5 in |
| Year | 15.3°C | 6.7°C | 11.0°C | 938 mm |
Where Merley’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 1 Met Office 2 km grid square whose centre lies inside Merley’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 Hurn, 5.8 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 Merley’s climate
How warm does Merley get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 22.5°C (72°F). About 16 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), more than 75% of UK towns.
How cold does Merley get in winter?
January nights average 2.3°C (36°F). The air drops below freezing on about 41 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Merley get?
About 938 mm (37 in) a year, more than 74% of UK towns. November is the wettest month (117 mm) and May the driest (54 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Hurn (Bournemouth Airport) (5.8 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 Merley. 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 Merley →
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.