Few UK towns have milder winter nights than Swanage
July afternoons average 20.6°C (69°F). Warm afternoons come less often than in 84% of UK towns. Temperatures cover 17°C across the year, low to high. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to April, which average under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Swanage at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Swanage feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 909 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and May the driest. About 28 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 16th wettest of 32 Dorset towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Hurn (Bournemouth Airport)
16 air frosts and 3 days of 25°C a year
On about 16 nights a year the air drops below freezing; days that stay below freezing are rare. About 3 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 13 miles north-east of Swanage, 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 Swanage 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swanage | 20.6°C | 4.0°C | 909 mm |
| Poole 8.6 mi | 22.0°C 1.4°C warmer | 3.0°C 1.1°C colder | 919 mm |
| Wareham 8.7 mi | 22.1°C 1.5°C warmer | 2.5°C 1.5°C colder | 860 mm |
| Sandford 8.7 mi | 22.1°C 1.5°C warmer | 2.5°C 1.6°C colder | 852 mm |
| Upton 9.1 mi | 22.0°C 1.4°C warmer | 2.9°C 1.2°C colder | 875 mm |
| Bournemouth 10.1 mi | 22.0°C 1.4°C warmer | 2.9°C 1.1°C colder | 878 mm |
| Bearwood 11.0 mi | 22.7°C 2.1°C warmer | 2.4°C 1.6°C colder | 909 mm |
Swanage 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 | 9.0°C 48°F | 4.0°C 39°F | 6.5°C | 98 mm 3.8 in |
| February | 8.7°C 48°F | 3.5°C 38°F | 6.1°C | 72 mm 2.8 in |
| March | 10.5°C 51°F | 4.4°C 40°F | 7.4°C | 63 mm 2.5 in |
| April | 12.9°C 55°F | 5.9°C 43°F | 9.4°C | 56 mm 2.2 in |
| May | 15.8°C 60°F | 8.7°C 48°F | 12.2°C | 50 mm 2.0 in |
| June | 18.5°C 65°F | 11.4°C 52°F | 14.9°C | 57 mm 2.3 in |
| July | 20.6°C 69°F | 13.3°C 56°F | 16.9°C | 53 mm 2.1 in |
| August | 20.6°C 69°F | 13.5°C 56°F | 17.0°C | 61 mm 2.4 in |
| September | 18.6°C 65°F | 11.7°C 53°F | 15.1°C | 69 mm 2.7 in |
| October | 15.3°C 59°F | 9.4°C 49°F | 12.3°C | 106 mm 4.2 in |
| November | 11.8°C 53°F | 6.4°C 43°F | 9.1°C | 112 mm 4.4 in |
| December | 9.4°C 49°F | 4.2°C 40°F | 6.8°C | 114 mm 4.5 in |
| Year | 14.3°C | 8.0°C | 11.1°C | 909 mm |
Where Swanage’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 2 Met Office 2 km grid squares whose centre lies inside Swanage’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, 13 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 Swanage’s climate
How warm does Swanage get in summer?
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 20.6°C (69°F). About 3 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 84% of UK towns.
How cold does Swanage get in winter?
February nights average 3.5°C (38°F). The air drops below freezing on about 16 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Swanage get?
About 909 mm (36 in) a year, more than 70% of UK towns. December is the wettest month (114 mm) and May the driest (50 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Hurn (Bournemouth Airport) (13 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 Swanage. 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 Swanage →
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.