Gretna gets more frosts than 82% of UK towns
July afternoons average 20.2°C (68°F). Days of 25°C are scarce: about 5 a year, fewer than in 77% of UK towns. Winter and summer sit 19°C apart. From June to September, highs of 17–20°C make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Gretna at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Gretna feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 876 mm of rain a year
August is the wettest month and April the driest. About 24 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 10th wettest of 10 Dumfries and Galloway towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Eskdalemuir
49 air frosts and 5 days of 25°C a year
On about 49 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 5 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 Eskdalemuir
Eskdalemuir is 23 miles north of Gretna, 242 m (794 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 | 5.2°C | −0.1°C | 208 mm | 14.4 | 37 |
| February | 5.9°C | −0.2°C | 170 mm | 13.7 | 59 |
| March | 7.8°C | 0.8°C | 147 mm | 11.9 | 84 |
| April | 10.8°C | 2.4°C | 102 mm | 7.5 | 129 |
| May | 14.1°C | 4.8°C | 103 mm | 3.8 | 162 |
| June | 16.4°C | 7.9°C | 111 mm | 0.2 | 132 |
| July | 18.2°C | 9.6°C | 130 mm | 0.0 | 131 |
| August | 17.7°C | 9.5°C | 145 mm | 0.1 | 123 |
| September | 15.3°C | 7.4°C | 132 mm | 0.7 | 97 |
| October | 11.7°C | 4.8°C | 185 mm | 4.3 | 69 |
| November | 8.0°C | 2.0°C | 190 mm | 9.3 | 48 |
| December | 5.5°C | −0.2°C | 206 mm | 13.8 | 37 |
| Year | 11.4°C | 4.1°C | 1,829 mm | 80 | 1,107 |
Met Office historic station data, Eskdalemuir, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Kipp & Zonen recorder.
How Gretna 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 Dumfries and Galloway 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gretna | 20.2°C | 1.4°C | 876 mm |
| Longtown 4.1 mi | 20.3°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 949 mm |
| Houghton 7.5 mi | 20.0°C about the same | 1.8°C about the same | 903 mm |
| Annan 7.6 mi | 19.6°C 0.5°C cooler | 1.6°C about the same | 1,036 mm |
| Carlisle 8.8 mi | 20.0°C about the same | 1.8°C about the same | 846 mm |
| Scotby 10.4 mi | 20.1°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 840 mm |
| Dalston 10.9 mi | 19.7°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 889 mm |
Gretna 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 | 7.0°C 45°F | 1.4°C 34°F | 4.2°C | 86 mm 3.4 in |
| February | 8.0°C 46°F | 1.7°C 35°F | 4.8°C | 62 mm 2.5 in |
| March | 10.0°C 50°F | 2.7°C 37°F | 6.3°C | 57 mm 2.2 in |
| April | 12.8°C 55°F | 4.3°C 40°F | 8.5°C | 46 mm 1.8 in |
| May | 16.0°C 61°F | 6.8°C 44°F | 11.3°C | 56 mm 2.2 in |
| June | 18.4°C 65°F | 9.6°C 49°F | 14.0°C | 63 mm 2.5 in |
| July | 20.2°C 68°F | 11.5°C 53°F | 15.8°C | 69 mm 2.7 in |
| August | 19.8°C 68°F | 11.3°C 52°F | 15.5°C | 97 mm 3.8 in |
| September | 17.5°C 63°F | 9.3°C 49°F | 13.3°C | 84 mm 3.3 in |
| October | 13.8°C 57°F | 6.6°C 44°F | 10.1°C | 91 mm 3.6 in |
| November | 9.9°C 50°F | 3.6°C 38°F | 6.7°C | 80 mm 3.1 in |
| December | 7.4°C 45°F | 1.4°C 35°F | 4.4°C | 86 mm 3.4 in |
| Year | 13.4°C | 5.8°C | 9.6°C | 876 mm |
Where Gretna’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 Gretna’s locality.
- 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 Eskdalemuir, 23 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 Gretna’s climate
How warm does Gretna get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 20.2°C (68°F). About 5 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 77% of UK towns.
How cold does Gretna get in winter?
January nights average 1.4°C (34°F). The air drops below freezing on about 49 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Gretna get?
About 876 mm (34 in) a year, more than 66% of UK towns. August is the wettest month (97 mm) and April the driest (46 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Eskdalemuir (23 miles away), averages 1,107 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 Gretna. 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 Gretna →
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.