Photo: Colin Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0Shaftesbury gets more frosts than 83% of UK towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 21.4°C (71°F). Rain is plentiful here, more than falls on 77% of UK towns. A year here swings 20°C from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. For walks and days out, the stretch from June to September brings highs of 18–21°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Shaftesbury at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Shaftesbury feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 988 mm of rain a year
November is the wettest month and May the driest. About 31 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 3rd wettest of 32 Dorset towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Yeovilton
49 air frosts and 9 days of 25°C a year
On about 49 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 2 days it stays below freezing all day. About 9 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 Yeovilton
Yeovilton is 20 miles west of Shaftesbury, 20 m (66 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 | 8.6°C | 2.0°C | 70 mm | 10.0 | 58 |
| February | 9.0°C | 1.8°C | 51 mm | 9.7 | 77 |
| March | 11.2°C | 3.0°C | 49 mm | 7.6 | 114 |
| April | 13.9°C | 4.5°C | 52 mm | 3.8 | 163 |
| May | 17.1°C | 7.4°C | 47 mm | 0.5 | 191 |
| June | 19.9°C | 10.3°C | 58 mm | 0.0 | 188 |
| July | 21.9°C | 12.2°C | 50 mm | 0.0 | 192 |
| August | 21.6°C | 12.2°C | 61 mm | 0.0 | 175 |
| September | 19.2°C | 10.0°C | 53 mm | 0.0 | 142 |
| October | 15.3°C | 7.6°C | 81 mm | 1.8 | 104 |
| November | 11.5°C | 4.4°C | 80 mm | 5.5 | 69 |
| December | 9.0°C | 2.3°C | 77 mm | 10.3 | 52 |
| Year | 14.9°C | 6.5°C | 728 mm | 49 | 1,524 |
Met Office historic station data, Yeovilton, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Kipp & Zonen recorder.
How Shaftesbury 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shaftesbury | 21.4°C | 1.3°C | 988 mm |
| Motcombe 2.1 mi | 22.0°C 0.6°C warmer | 1.9°C 0.6°C milder | 903 mm |
| Gillingham 4.6 mi | 22.1°C 0.7°C warmer | 2.0°C 0.7°C milder | 840 mm |
| Tisbury 6.0 mi | 21.3°C about the same | 1.8°C about the same | 991 mm |
| Marnhull 6.1 mi | 22.2°C 0.8°C warmer | 2.1°C 0.8°C milder | 816 mm |
| Mere 6.7 mi | 21.6°C about the same | 1.9°C 0.6°C milder | 938 mm |
| Child Okeford 6.8 mi | 22.2°C 0.8°C warmer | 2.2°C 0.9°C milder | 916 mm |
Shaftesbury 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 | 7.3°C 45°F | 1.3°C 34°F | 4.3°C | 101 mm 4.0 in |
| February | 7.9°C 46°F | 1.3°C 34°F | 4.5°C | 78 mm 3.1 in |
| March | 10.2°C 50°F | 2.6°C 37°F | 6.4°C | 64 mm 2.5 in |
| April | 13.2°C 56°F | 4.0°C 39°F | 8.6°C | 69 mm 2.7 in |
| May | 16.3°C 61°F | 6.6°C 44°F | 11.4°C | 59 mm 2.3 in |
| June | 19.0°C 66°F | 9.5°C 49°F | 14.3°C | 66 mm 2.6 in |
| July | 21.4°C 71°F | 11.7°C 53°F | 16.5°C | 65 mm 2.5 in |
| August | 21.1°C 70°F | 11.7°C 53°F | 16.4°C | 76 mm 3.0 in |
| September | 18.4°C 65°F | 9.7°C 49°F | 14.0°C | 71 mm 2.8 in |
| October | 14.3°C 58°F | 7.2°C 45°F | 10.7°C | 111 mm 4.4 in |
| November | 10.5°C 51°F | 4.3°C 40°F | 7.4°C | 118 mm 4.6 in |
| December | 7.9°C 46°F | 1.7°C 35°F | 4.8°C | 110 mm 4.3 in |
| Year | 14.0°C | 6.0°C | 10.0°C | 988 mm |
Where Shaftesbury’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 Shaftesbury’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 Yeovilton, 20 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 Shaftesbury’s climate
How warm does Shaftesbury get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 21.4°C (71°F). About 9 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 60% of UK towns.
How cold does Shaftesbury get in winter?
January nights average 1.3°C (34°F). The air drops below freezing on about 49 nights a year, and about 2 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Shaftesbury get?
About 988 mm (39 in) a year, more than 77% of UK towns. November is the wettest month (118 mm) and May the driest (59 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Yeovilton (20 miles away), averages 1,524 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 Shaftesbury. 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 Shaftesbury →
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