Summers in Musselburgh are cooler than in 84% of UK towns
Midwinter brings lows of about 1.8°C (35°F). The rainiest month is August; the driest is April. Frost is rarer than in 75% of UK towns: about 35 nights a year drop below freezing. Windscreens need scraping on about 35 mornings a year, the nights the air drops below 0°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Musselburgh at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Musselburgh feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 683 mm of rain a year
August is the wettest month and April the driest. About 16 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 4th wettest of 11 East Lothian towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Leuchars
35 air frosts and 1 days of 25°C a year
On about 35 nights a year the air drops below freezing; days that stay below freezing are rare. About 1 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 Leuchars
Leuchars is 31 miles north of Musselburgh, 10 m (33 ft) above sea level. It is the nearest of the 37 long-running stations the Met Office publishes in full; at that distance read it for sunshine and the station’s own record, not as the town’s figures.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Air frosts | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.8°C | 0.7°C | 64 mm | 12.1 | 60 |
| February | 7.7°C | 1.0°C | 47 mm | 10.4 | 87 |
| March | 9.6°C | 2.1°C | 46 mm | 8.2 | 124 |
| April | 11.8°C | 3.8°C | 43 mm | 3.4 | 161 |
| May | 14.5°C | 6.1°C | 50 mm | 1.0 | 198 |
| June | 17.2°C | 9.1°C | 63 mm | 0.0 | 172 |
| July | 19.3°C | 10.9°C | 65 mm | 0.0 | 173 |
| August | 19.1°C | 10.7°C | 69 mm | 0.0 | 162 |
| September | 16.8°C | 9.0°C | 55 mm | 0.0 | 133 |
| October | 13.2°C | 6.2°C | 81 mm | 1.6 | 101 |
| November | 9.5°C | 2.9°C | 68 mm | 6.8 | 76 |
| December | 7.0°C | 0.9°C | 63 mm | 12.0 | 52 |
| Year | 12.7°C | 5.3°C | 714 mm | 56 | 1,498 |
Met Office historic station data, Leuchars, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Kipp & Zonen recorder.
How Musselburgh 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 East Lothian 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Musselburgh | 19.4°C | 1.8°C | 683 mm |
| Wallyford 1.5 mi | 19.3°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 651 mm |
| Danderhall 2.9 mi | 19.5°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 747 mm |
| Prestonpans 3.0 mi | 19.3°C about the same | 2.2°C about the same | 654 mm |
| Dalkeith 3.3 mi | 19.3°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 793 mm |
| Tranent 3.9 mi | 18.9°C 0.6°C cooler | 1.6°C about the same | 712 mm |
| Cockenzie 4.3 mi | 19.2°C about the same | 2.3°C about the same | 622 mm |
Musselburgh 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 | 7.4°C 45°F | 1.8°C 35°F | 4.6°C | 50 mm 2.0 in |
| February | 8.0°C 46°F | 2.0°C 36°F | 5.0°C | 47 mm 1.8 in |
| March | 9.7°C 49°F | 2.9°C 37°F | 6.3°C | 49 mm 1.9 in |
| April | 12.2°C 54°F | 4.4°C 40°F | 8.3°C | 39 mm 1.5 in |
| May | 15.2°C 59°F | 6.6°C 44°F | 10.9°C | 46 mm 1.8 in |
| June | 17.5°C 64°F | 9.4°C 49°F | 13.5°C | 62 mm 2.4 in |
| July | 19.4°C 67°F | 11.3°C 52°F | 15.3°C | 60 mm 2.4 in |
| August | 19.3°C 67°F | 11.2°C 52°F | 15.2°C | 86 mm 3.4 in |
| September | 17.1°C 63°F | 9.6°C 49°F | 13.4°C | 54 mm 2.1 in |
| October | 13.6°C 56°F | 7.0°C 45°F | 10.3°C | 72 mm 2.8 in |
| November | 10.0°C 50°F | 4.3°C 40°F | 7.2°C | 63 mm 2.5 in |
| December | 7.6°C 46°F | 2.0°C 36°F | 4.9°C | 58 mm 2.3 in |
| Year | 13.1°C | 6.0°C | 9.6°C | 683 mm |
Where Musselburgh’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 Musselburgh’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 Leuchars, 31 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 Musselburgh’s climate
How warm does Musselburgh get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.4°C (67°F). About 1 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 97% of UK towns.
How cold does Musselburgh get in winter?
January nights average 1.8°C (35°F). The air drops below freezing on about 35 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Musselburgh get?
About 683 mm (27 in) a year, less than 70% of UK towns. August is the wettest month (86 mm) and April the driest (39 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Leuchars (31 miles away), averages 1,498 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 Musselburgh. 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 Musselburgh →
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.