Hardly any UK towns collect less rain than Great Oakley: 566 mm (22 in) a year
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 22.3°C (72°F). Seasons differ by 21°C, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. Its July heat outdoes that of 73% of UK towns. Radiators earn their keep from November to April, the months that average under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Great Oakley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Great Oakley feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 566 mm of rain a year
November 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
40 air frosts and 13 days of 25°C a year
On about 40 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 13 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 39 miles south of Great Oakley, 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 Great Oakley 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Oakley | 22.3°C | 1.7°C | 566 mm |
| Harwich 3.3 mi | 22.7°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 575 mm |
| Thorpe-le-Soken 3.6 mi | 22.5°C about the same | 1.8°C about the same | 574 mm |
| Bradfield 4.1 mi | 22.6°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 563 mm |
| Kirby-le-Soken 4.1 mi | 22.6°C about the same | 2.0°C about the same | 552 mm |
| Kirby Cross 4.7 mi | 22.5°C about the same | 2.1°C about the same | 558 mm |
| Shotley Gate 4.7 mi | 22.7°C about the same | 2.1°C about the same | 586 mm |
Great Oakley 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 | 7.0°C 45°F | 1.7°C 35°F | 4.3°C | 49 mm 1.9 in |
| February | 7.6°C 46°F | 1.7°C 35°F | 4.6°C | 42 mm 1.6 in |
| March | 10.1°C 50°F | 3.3°C 38°F | 6.7°C | 34 mm 1.3 in |
| April | 13.3°C 56°F | 4.9°C 41°F | 9.1°C | 34 mm 1.3 in |
| May | 16.6°C 62°F | 8.1°C 47°F | 12.3°C | 43 mm 1.7 in |
| June | 19.7°C 67°F | 11.1°C 52°F | 15.4°C | 46 mm 1.8 in |
| July | 22.3°C 72°F | 13.3°C 56°F | 17.8°C | 42 mm 1.6 in |
| August | 22.0°C 72°F | 13.3°C 56°F | 17.7°C | 54 mm 2.1 in |
| September | 18.9°C 66°F | 10.8°C 51°F | 14.9°C | 53 mm 2.1 in |
| October | 14.6°C 58°F | 8.1°C 47°F | 11.3°C | 56 mm 2.2 in |
| November | 10.3°C 51°F | 4.5°C 40°F | 7.4°C | 57 mm 2.3 in |
| December | 7.5°C 45°F | 2.0°C 36°F | 4.7°C | 55 mm 2.2 in |
| Year | 14.2°C | 6.9°C | 10.5°C | 566 mm |
Where Great Oakley’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 Great Oakley’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, 39 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 Great Oakley’s climate
How warm does Great Oakley get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 22.3°C (72°F). About 13 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), more than 63% of UK towns.
How cold does Great Oakley get in winter?
January nights average 1.7°C (35°F). The air drops below freezing on about 40 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Great Oakley get?
About 566 mm (22 in) a year, less than 98% of UK towns. November is the wettest month (57 mm) and March the driest (34 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Manston (39 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 Great Oakley. 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 Great Oakley →
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