Hardly any UK towns see hotter July days than Ardleigh
Deep winter brings January lows near 1.5°C (35°F). By rainfall alone, it ranks drier than 93% of UK towns. Wet weather is most frequent in October and least in March. Expect about 52 frosty starts a year, nights when the air falls below freezing.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Ardleigh at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Ardleigh feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 597 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and March the driest. About 13 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Manston
A frosty town: 52 air frosts and 20 days of 25°C a year
On about 52 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 20 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 Manston
Manston is 43 miles south-east of Ardleigh, 49 m (161 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 | 7.6°C | 2.5°C | 51 mm | 5.9 | 64 |
| February | 8.0°C | 2.4°C | 41 mm | 5.8 | 82 |
| March | 10.3°C | 3.9°C | 37 mm | 2.7 | 130 |
| April | 13.2°C | 5.8°C | 38 mm | 0.6 | 191 |
| May | 16.3°C | 8.7°C | 50 mm | 0.0 | 224 |
| June | 19.5°C | 11.4°C | 43 mm | 0.0 | 230 |
| July | 22.1°C | 13.7°C | 47 mm | 0.0 | 236 |
| August | 22.2°C | 14.0°C | 51 mm | 0.0 | 214 |
| September | 19.1°C | 11.9°C | 49 mm | 0.0 | 168 |
| October | 15.1°C | 9.1°C | 74 mm | 0.2 | 119 |
| November | 11.0°C | 5.6°C | 72 mm | 1.3 | 76 |
| December | 8.3°C | 3.2°C | 63 mm | 5.1 | 59 |
| Year | 14.4°C | 7.7°C | 615 mm | 22 | 1,793 |
Met Office historic station data, Manston, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Kipp & Zonen recorder.
How Ardleigh 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 Essex 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ardleigh | 23.1°C | 1.5°C | 597 mm |
| Elmstead Market 2.9 mi | 22.8°C about the same | 1.7°C about the same | 591 mm |
| Lawford 3.0 mi | 23.2°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 563 mm |
| Manningtree 3.6 mi | 23.2°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 564 mm |
| East Bergholt 3.9 mi | 23.0°C about the same | 1.4°C about the same | 622 mm |
| Brantham 4.3 mi | 23.2°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 564 mm |
| Colchester 4.4 mi | 23.1°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 598 mm |
Ardleigh 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 | 7.6°C 46°F | 1.5°C 35°F | 4.5°C | 51 mm 2.0 in |
| February | 8.2°C 47°F | 1.4°C 35°F | 4.8°C | 42 mm 1.7 in |
| March | 10.8°C 51°F | 2.6°C 37°F | 6.7°C | 37 mm 1.5 in |
| April | 14.1°C 57°F | 4.1°C 39°F | 9.1°C | 37 mm 1.5 in |
| May | 17.5°C 63°F | 7.0°C 45°F | 12.2°C | 45 mm 1.8 in |
| June | 20.6°C 69°F | 9.8°C 50°F | 15.1°C | 51 mm 2.0 in |
| July | 23.1°C 74°F | 12.0°C 54°F | 17.5°C | 47 mm 1.8 in |
| August | 22.9°C 73°F | 11.9°C 53°F | 17.4°C | 58 mm 2.3 in |
| September | 19.7°C 67°F | 9.7°C 49°F | 14.7°C | 47 mm 1.9 in |
| October | 15.3°C 60°F | 7.1°C 45°F | 11.2°C | 62 mm 2.4 in |
| November | 10.8°C 51°F | 3.9°C 39°F | 7.3°C | 61 mm 2.4 in |
| December | 7.9°C 46°F | 1.8°C 35°F | 4.8°C | 59 mm 2.3 in |
| Year | 14.9°C | 6.1°C | 10.5°C | 597 mm |
Where Ardleigh’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 Ardleigh’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 Manston, 43 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 Ardleigh’s climate
How warm does Ardleigh get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 23.1°C (74°F). About 20 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), more than 89% of UK towns.
How cold does Ardleigh get in winter?
February nights average 1.4°C (35°F). The air drops below freezing on about 52 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Ardleigh get?
About 597 mm (24 in) a year, less than 93% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (62 mm) and March the driest (37 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Manston (43 miles away), averages 1,793 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 Ardleigh. 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 Ardleigh →
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.