Ice rarely forms: Rye sees fewer frosts than 89% of UK towns
July afternoons average 22.4°C (72°F). Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 75% of UK towns. A year here swings 20°C from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. The heating season runs November to April: each of those months averages under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Rye at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Rye feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 746 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and March the driest. About 23 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 26th wettest of 26 East Sussex towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Eastbourne
26 air frosts and 12 days of 25°C a year
On about 26 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 12 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 Eastbourne
Eastbourne is 23 miles south-west of Rye, 7 m (23 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 | 8.5°C | 3.9°C | 83 mm | 4.5 | 70 |
| February | 8.6°C | 3.6°C | 58 mm | 3.8 | 90 |
| March | 10.5°C | 4.9°C | 48 mm | 1.1 | 134 |
| April | 13.3°C | 6.7°C | 45 mm | 0.2 | 203 |
| May | 16.3°C | 9.6°C | 46 mm | 0.0 | 236 |
| June | 18.9°C | 12.5°C | 47 mm | 0.0 | 239 |
| July | 21.0°C | 14.7°C | 54 mm | 0.0 | 252 |
| August | 21.3°C | 14.9°C | 60 mm | 0.0 | 233 |
| September | 19.2°C | 12.6°C | 60 mm | 0.0 | 172 |
| October | 15.7°C | 9.9°C | 93 mm | 0.0 | 121 |
| November | 11.9°C | 6.9°C | 98 mm | 0.6 | 78 |
| December | 9.3°C | 4.5°C | 100 mm | 3.8 | 62 |
| Year | 14.5°C | 8.7°C | 792 mm | 14 | 1,889 |
Met Office historic station data, Eastbourne, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Campbell-Stokes recorder.
How Rye 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 Sussex 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rye | 22.4°C | 2.6°C | 746 mm |
| Winchelsea Beach 2.2 mi | 22.3°C about the same | 2.9°C about the same | 772 mm |
| Camber 3.0 mi | 22.3°C about the same | 2.7°C about the same | 746 mm |
| Fairlight 5.9 mi | 21.4°C 1.0°C cooler | 3.0°C about the same | 837 mm |
| Northiam 6.4 mi | 22.5°C about the same | 1.9°C 0.7°C colder | 854 mm |
| Westfield 7.3 mi | 21.8°C 0.6°C cooler | 2.8°C about the same | 827 mm |
| Lydd 7.8 mi | 21.9°C 0.5°C cooler | 2.5°C about the same | 709 mm |
Rye 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 | 8.4°C 47°F | 2.6°C 37°F | 5.4°C | 83 mm 3.3 in |
| February | 8.6°C 48°F | 2.3°C 36°F | 5.4°C | 56 mm 2.2 in |
| March | 11.1°C 52°F | 3.7°C 39°F | 7.4°C | 44 mm 1.7 in |
| April | 14.2°C 57°F | 5.2°C 41°F | 9.7°C | 44 mm 1.7 in |
| May | 17.4°C 63°F | 8.1°C 47°F | 12.7°C | 47 mm 1.8 in |
| June | 20.3°C 68°F | 10.8°C 51°F | 15.6°C | 47 mm 1.8 in |
| July | 22.4°C 72°F | 12.9°C 55°F | 17.7°C | 45 mm 1.8 in |
| August | 22.6°C 73°F | 13.0°C 55°F | 17.7°C | 57 mm 2.3 in |
| September | 19.8°C 68°F | 10.8°C 52°F | 15.3°C | 56 mm 2.2 in |
| October | 15.9°C 61°F | 8.3°C 47°F | 12.0°C | 86 mm 3.4 in |
| November | 11.7°C 53°F | 5.2°C 41°F | 8.4°C | 90 mm 3.5 in |
| December | 8.9°C 48°F | 2.9°C 37°F | 5.8°C | 91 mm 3.6 in |
| Year | 15.1°C | 7.1°C | 11.1°C | 746 mm |
Where Rye’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 Rye’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 Eastbourne, 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 Rye’s climate
How warm does Rye get in summer?
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 22.6°C (73°F). About 12 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), more than 55% of UK towns.
How cold does Rye get in winter?
February nights average 2.3°C (36°F). The air drops below freezing on about 26 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Rye get?
About 746 mm (29 in) a year, less than 55% of UK towns. December is the wettest month (91 mm) and March the driest (44 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Eastbourne (23 miles away), averages 1,889 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 Rye. 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 Rye →
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.