Thundersley and South Benfleet is among the driest of UK towns: 568 mm (22 in) of rain a year
July afternoons average 22.8°C (73°F). The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 20°C. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 87% of UK towns. Plan time outside from May to September, when highs sit at 17–23°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Thundersley and South Benfleet at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Thundersley and South Benfleet feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 568 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and March the driest. About 12 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 53rd wettest of 81 Essex towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Manston
31 air frosts and 16 days of 25°C a year
On about 31 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 16 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 36 miles east of Thundersley and South Benfleet, 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 Thundersley and South Benfleet 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thundersley and South Benfleet | 22.8°C | 2.6°C | 568 mm |
| North Benfleet 1.9 mi | 23.3°C about the same | 2.8°C about the same | 533 mm |
| Rayleigh 2.2 mi | 22.7°C about the same | 2.4°C about the same | 581 mm |
| Canvey Island 2.9 mi | 23.1°C about the same | 3.1°C 0.5°C milder | 533 mm |
| Wickford 3.7 mi | 23.5°C 0.7°C warmer | 2.3°C about the same | 564 mm |
| Hockley and Hawkwell 4.4 mi | 22.9°C about the same | 2.2°C about the same | 576 mm |
| Hullbridge 4.4 mi | 22.9°C about the same | 2.2°C about the same | 578 mm |
Thundersley and South Benfleet 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 | 7.8°C 46°F | 2.6°C 37°F | 5.2°C | 44 mm 1.7 in |
| February | 8.3°C 47°F | 2.3°C 36°F | 5.3°C | 40 mm 1.6 in |
| March | 10.9°C 52°F | 3.6°C 39°F | 7.3°C | 34 mm 1.3 in |
| April | 14.0°C 57°F | 5.2°C 41°F | 9.6°C | 41 mm 1.6 in |
| May | 17.2°C 63°F | 8.3°C 47°F | 12.7°C | 42 mm 1.6 in |
| June | 20.3°C 68°F | 11.2°C 52°F | 15.7°C | 45 mm 1.8 in |
| July | 22.8°C 73°F | 13.5°C 56°F | 18.1°C | 45 mm 1.8 in |
| August | 22.6°C 73°F | 13.5°C 56°F | 18.1°C | 50 mm 2.0 in |
| September | 19.6°C 67°F | 11.2°C 52°F | 15.4°C | 50 mm 2.0 in |
| October | 15.3°C 59°F | 8.5°C 47°F | 11.8°C | 65 mm 2.6 in |
| November | 10.9°C 52°F | 5.1°C 41°F | 8.1°C | 57 mm 2.2 in |
| December | 8.2°C 47°F | 2.8°C 37°F | 5.5°C | 54 mm 2.1 in |
| Year | 14.8°C | 7.3°C | 11.1°C | 568 mm |
Where Thundersley and South Benfleet’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 3 Met Office 2 km grid squares whose centre lies inside Thundersley and South Benfleet’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, 36 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 Thundersley and South Benfleet’s climate
How warm does Thundersley and South Benfleet get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 22.8°C (73°F). About 16 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), more than 76% of UK towns.
How cold does Thundersley and South Benfleet get in winter?
February nights average 2.3°C (36°F). The air drops below freezing on about 31 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Thundersley and South Benfleet get?
About 568 mm (22 in) a year, less than 98% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (65 mm) and March the driest (34 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Manston (36 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 Thundersley and South Benfleet. 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 Thundersley and South Benfleet →
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