Ice on the ground: Sydling St Nicholas sees more frosts than 91% of UK towns
A warm July spell here typically peaks at 20.8°C (69°F). Winter and summer sit 19°C apart. It is a wet place: more rain falls here than on 89% of UK towns. Long walks are most pleasant from June to September, when afternoons reach 18–21°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Sydling St Nicholas at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Sydling St Nicholas feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,186 mm of rain a year
November is the wettest month and June the driest. About 39 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Yeovilton
A frosty town: 53 air frosts and 8 days of 25°C a year
On about 53 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 8 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 16 miles north of Sydling St Nicholas, 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 Sydling St Nicholas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydling St Nicholas | 20.8°C | 1.6°C | 1,186 mm |
| Maiden Newton 2.4 mi | 21.1°C about the same | 1.4°C about the same | 1,084 mm |
| Charlton Down 4.1 mi | 21.3°C 0.5°C warmer | 2.2°C 0.6°C milder | 1,137 mm |
| Charminster 5.0 mi | 21.3°C 0.5°C warmer | 2.3°C 0.7°C milder | 1,131 mm |
| Dorchester 6.8 mi | 21.7°C 0.8°C warmer | 2.4°C 0.8°C milder | 1,089 mm |
| Puddletown 8.4 mi | 21.6°C 0.8°C warmer | 2.2°C 0.6°C milder | 1,058 mm |
| Beaminster 9.5 mi | 20.7°C about the same | 2.3°C 0.7°C milder | 1,100 mm |
Sydling St Nicholas 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 | 7.8°C 46°F | 1.6°C 35°F | 4.7°C | 127 mm 5.0 in |
| February | 7.9°C 46°F | 1.3°C 34°F | 4.6°C | 95 mm 3.7 in |
| March | 10.2°C 50°F | 2.3°C 36°F | 6.2°C | 83 mm 3.3 in |
| April | 13.0°C 55°F | 3.7°C 39°F | 8.3°C | 81 mm 3.2 in |
| May | 16.1°C 61°F | 6.4°C 44°F | 11.2°C | 70 mm 2.7 in |
| June | 18.8°C 66°F | 9.1°C 48°F | 13.9°C | 66 mm 2.6 in |
| July | 20.8°C 69°F | 11.1°C 52°F | 15.9°C | 66 mm 2.6 in |
| August | 20.5°C 69°F | 11.0°C 52°F | 15.7°C | 95 mm 3.8 in |
| September | 18.1°C 65°F | 9.0°C 48°F | 13.6°C | 87 mm 3.4 in |
| October | 14.3°C 58°F | 6.7°C 44°F | 10.5°C | 136 mm 5.3 in |
| November | 10.6°C 51°F | 3.8°C 39°F | 7.2°C | 148 mm 5.8 in |
| December | 8.1°C 47°F | 1.8°C 35°F | 5.0°C | 133 mm 5.2 in |
| Year | 13.9°C | 5.6°C | 9.7°C | 1,186 mm |
Where Sydling St Nicholas’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 Sydling St Nicholas’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 Yeovilton, 16 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 Sydling St Nicholas’s climate
How warm does Sydling St Nicholas get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 20.8°C (69°F). About 8 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 63% of UK towns.
How cold does Sydling St Nicholas get in winter?
February nights average 1.3°C (34°F). The air drops below freezing on about 53 nights a year, and about 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Sydling St Nicholas get?
About 1,186 mm (47 in) a year, more than 89% of UK towns. November is the wettest month (148 mm) and June the driest (66 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Yeovilton (16 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 Sydling St Nicholas. 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 Sydling St Nicholas →
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