Hardly any UK towns see hotter July days than Harlow
A clear January night here typically dips to 1.7°C (35°F). Winter and summer sit 22°C apart. By rainfall alone, it ranks drier than 89% of UK towns. Windscreens need scraping on about 42 mornings a year, the nights the air drops below 0°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Harlow at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Harlow feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 617 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. 20th wettest of 81 Essex towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Heathrow
42 air frosts and 22 days of 25°C a year
On about 42 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 22 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 Heathrow
Heathrow is 31 miles south-west of Harlow, 25 m (82 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 | 8.4°C | 2.7°C | 59 mm | 6.8 | 59 |
| February | 9.0°C | 2.6°C | 45 mm | 6.2 | 76 |
| March | 11.7°C | 4.1°C | 39 mm | 3.0 | 120 |
| April | 15.0°C | 6.0°C | 42 mm | 0.8 | 169 |
| May | 18.4°C | 9.1°C | 46 mm | 0.0 | 197 |
| June | 21.6°C | 12.0°C | 47 mm | 0.0 | 197 |
| July | 23.9°C | 14.2°C | 46 mm | 0.0 | 206 |
| August | 23.4°C | 14.1°C | 54 mm | 0.0 | 192 |
| September | 20.2°C | 11.6°C | 50 mm | 0.0 | 150 |
| October | 15.8°C | 8.8°C | 65 mm | 0.3 | 111 |
| November | 11.5°C | 5.3°C | 67 mm | 2.7 | 68 |
| December | 8.8°C | 3.1°C | 57 mm | 7.2 | 53 |
| Year | 15.6°C | 7.8°C | 616 mm | 27 | 1,597 |
Met Office historic station data, Heathrow (London Airport), 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Kipp & Zonen recorder.
How Harlow 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlow | 23.2°C | 1.7°C | 617 mm |
| Roydon 3.0 mi | 23.3°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 628 mm |
| Thornwood Common 3.2 mi | 22.9°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 678 mm |
| Sawbridgeworth 3.7 mi | 23.0°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 650 mm |
| North Weald Bassett 4.1 mi | 22.9°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 679 mm |
| Coopersale 4.2 mi | 23.0°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 659 mm |
| Lower Nazeing 4.6 mi | 23.3°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 624 mm |
Harlow 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 | 7.7°C 46°F | 1.7°C 35°F | 4.7°C | 57 mm 2.2 in |
| February | 8.4°C 47°F | 1.7°C 35°F | 5.0°C | 44 mm 1.7 in |
| March | 11.1°C 52°F | 3.0°C 37°F | 7.1°C | 36 mm 1.4 in |
| April | 14.4°C 58°F | 4.4°C 40°F | 9.4°C | 40 mm 1.6 in |
| May | 17.7°C 64°F | 7.3°C 45°F | 12.5°C | 46 mm 1.8 in |
| June | 20.8°C 69°F | 10.3°C 51°F | 15.5°C | 49 mm 1.9 in |
| July | 23.2°C 74°F | 12.6°C 55°F | 17.8°C | 48 mm 1.9 in |
| August | 22.9°C 73°F | 12.6°C 55°F | 17.7°C | 63 mm 2.5 in |
| September | 19.8°C 68°F | 10.2°C 50°F | 15.0°C | 49 mm 1.9 in |
| October | 15.3°C 60°F | 7.6°C 46°F | 11.5°C | 68 mm 2.7 in |
| November | 10.9°C 52°F | 4.4°C 40°F | 7.7°C | 62 mm 2.5 in |
| December | 8.2°C 47°F | 2.1°C 36°F | 5.1°C | 56 mm 2.2 in |
| Year | 15.0°C | 6.5°C | 10.7°C | 617 mm |
Where Harlow’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 5 Met Office 2 km grid squares whose centre lies inside Harlow’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 Heathrow (London Airport), 31 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 Harlow’s climate
How warm does Harlow get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 23.2°C (74°F). About 22 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), more than 95% of UK towns.
How cold does Harlow get in winter?
February nights average 1.7°C (35°F). The air drops below freezing on about 42 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Harlow get?
About 617 mm (24 in) a year, less than 89% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (68 mm) and March the driest (36 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Heathrow (31 miles away), averages 1,597 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 Harlow. 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 Harlow →
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.