Less rain falls on Downham than on 89% of UK towns: 616 mm (24 in) a year
Sunny July days climb to about 22.7°C (73°F). In July, afternoons here are warmer than in 83% of UK towns. Expect the heaviest rain in October and the lightest in March. 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 Downham at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Downham feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 616 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and March the driest. About 14 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Manston
41 air frosts and 17 days of 25°C a year
On about 41 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 17 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 42 miles south-east of Downham, 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 Downham 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downham | 22.7°C | 1.9°C | 616 mm |
| Ramsden Heath 0.8 mi | 22.7°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 616 mm |
| Runwell 1.6 mi | 23.0°C about the same | 2.2°C about the same | 608 mm |
| Wickford 2.5 mi | 23.5°C 0.8°C warmer | 2.3°C about the same | 564 mm |
| Crays Hill 2.7 mi | 23.3°C 0.7°C warmer | 2.4°C about the same | 596 mm |
| Stock 2.7 mi | 22.8°C about the same | 1.8°C about the same | 585 mm |
| Billericay 3.1 mi | 22.9°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 607 mm |
Downham 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 | 1.9°C 35°F | 4.8°C | 55 mm 2.1 in |
| February | 8.0°C 46°F | 1.6°C 35°F | 4.8°C | 43 mm 1.7 in |
| March | 10.7°C 51°F | 2.8°C 37°F | 6.8°C | 37 mm 1.4 in |
| April | 13.8°C 57°F | 4.3°C 40°F | 9.1°C | 40 mm 1.6 in |
| May | 17.0°C 63°F | 7.2°C 45°F | 12.1°C | 46 mm 1.8 in |
| June | 20.1°C 68°F | 10.1°C 50°F | 15.1°C | 49 mm 1.9 in |
| July | 22.7°C 73°F | 12.4°C 54°F | 17.5°C | 50 mm 2.0 in |
| August | 22.5°C 72°F | 12.4°C 54°F | 17.4°C | 55 mm 2.2 in |
| September | 19.3°C 67°F | 10.2°C 50°F | 14.8°C | 52 mm 2.0 in |
| October | 15.0°C 59°F | 7.5°C 46°F | 11.3°C | 67 mm 2.6 in |
| November | 10.7°C 51°F | 4.3°C 40°F | 7.5°C | 65 mm 2.6 in |
| December | 7.9°C 46°F | 2.1°C 36°F | 5.0°C | 59 mm 2.3 in |
| Year | 14.6°C | 6.4°C | 10.5°C | 616 mm |
Where Downham’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 Downham’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 Manston, 42 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 Downham’s climate
How warm does Downham get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 22.7°C (73°F). About 17 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), more than 80% of UK towns.
How cold does Downham get in winter?
February nights average 1.6°C (35°F). The air drops below freezing on about 41 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Downham get?
About 616 mm (24 in) a year, less than 89% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (67 mm) and March the driest (37 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Manston (42 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 Downham. 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 Downham →
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