Afternoon heat in Braintree beats that of 91% of UK towns
January nights here settle around 1.9°C (35°F). Its yearly rainfall falls short of 91% of UK towns. October is the wettest month, March the driest. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to April, which average under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Braintree at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Braintree feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 611 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. 24th wettest of 81 Essex towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
38 air frosts and 20 days of 25°C a year
On about 38 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 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 Cambridge NIAB
Cambridge NIAB is 32 miles north-west of Braintree, 26 m (85 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7.7°C | 1.9°C | 49 mm | 9.0 |
| February | 8.3°C | 1.8°C | 36 mm | 8.7 |
| March | 11.0°C | 3.1°C | 33 mm | 5.2 |
| April | 14.1°C | 4.7°C | 38 mm | 2.6 |
| May | 17.4°C | 7.4°C | 43 mm | 0.6 |
| June | 20.4°C | 10.5°C | 49 mm | 0.0 |
| July | 23.1°C | 12.6°C | 48 mm | 0.0 |
| August | 22.9°C | 12.6°C | 56 mm | 0.0 |
| September | 19.6°C | 10.5°C | 51 mm | 0.0 |
| October | 15.1°C | 7.9°C | 59 mm | 0.7 |
| November | 10.7°C | 4.5°C | 53 mm | 3.7 |
| December | 8.0°C | 2.2°C | 50 mm | 9.2 |
| Year | 14.9°C | 6.6°C | 563 mm | 40 |
Met Office historic station data, Cambridge NIAB, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Campbell-Stokes recorder.
How Braintree 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Braintree | 23.0°C | 1.9°C | 611 mm |
| Great Notley 1.9 mi | 23.0°C about the same | 1.7°C about the same | 602 mm |
| Tye Green 1.9 mi | 23.1°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 599 mm |
| Black Notley 2.0 mi | 22.9°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 600 mm |
| Rayne 2.2 mi | 23.0°C about the same | 1.7°C about the same | 600 mm |
| Silver End 3.4 mi | 23.1°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 599 mm |
| Gosfield 4.1 mi | 23.1°C about the same | 1.8°C about the same | 625 mm |
Braintree 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 | 7.5°C 46°F | 1.9°C 35°F | 4.7°C | 53 mm 2.1 in |
| February | 8.0°C 46°F | 1.6°C 35°F | 4.8°C | 43 mm 1.7 in |
| March | 10.8°C 51°F | 3.0°C 37°F | 6.9°C | 38 mm 1.5 in |
| April | 14.0°C 57°F | 4.6°C 40°F | 9.3°C | 40 mm 1.6 in |
| May | 17.4°C 63°F | 7.5°C 46°F | 12.5°C | 46 mm 1.8 in |
| June | 20.4°C 69°F | 10.4°C 51°F | 15.3°C | 51 mm 2.0 in |
| July | 23.0°C 73°F | 12.5°C 55°F | 17.8°C | 49 mm 1.9 in |
| August | 22.8°C 73°F | 12.6°C 55°F | 17.7°C | 59 mm 2.3 in |
| September | 19.4°C 67°F | 10.2°C 50°F | 14.9°C | 49 mm 1.9 in |
| October | 15.1°C 59°F | 7.7°C 46°F | 11.4°C | 65 mm 2.6 in |
| November | 10.6°C 51°F | 4.3°C 40°F | 7.5°C | 62 mm 2.4 in |
| December | 7.8°C 46°F | 2.1°C 36°F | 5.0°C | 58 mm 2.3 in |
| Year | 14.7°C | 6.5°C | 10.6°C | 611 mm |
Where Braintree’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 Braintree’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 Cambridge NIAB, 32 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 Braintree’s climate
How warm does Braintree get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 23.0°C (73°F). About 20 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), more than 90% of UK towns.
How cold does Braintree get in winter?
February nights average 1.6°C (35°F). The air drops below freezing on about 38 nights a year, and about 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Braintree get?
About 611 mm (24 in) a year, less than 91% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (65 mm) and March the driest (38 mm).
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 Braintree. 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 Braintree →
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.