Dunfermline has colder winter nights than 87% of UK towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 19.3°C (67°F). Of all months, October brings the most rain and April the least. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in 86% of UK towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from June to August, with highs of 17–19°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Dunfermline at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Dunfermline feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 930 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and April the driest. About 23 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 8th wettest of 26 Fife towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Leuchars
46 air frosts and 1 days of 25°C a year
On about 46 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 1 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 Leuchars
Leuchars is 31 miles north-east of Dunfermline, 10 m (33 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 | 6.8°C | 0.7°C | 64 mm | 12.1 | 60 |
| February | 7.7°C | 1.0°C | 47 mm | 10.4 | 87 |
| March | 9.6°C | 2.1°C | 46 mm | 8.2 | 124 |
| April | 11.8°C | 3.8°C | 43 mm | 3.4 | 161 |
| May | 14.5°C | 6.1°C | 50 mm | 1.0 | 198 |
| June | 17.2°C | 9.1°C | 63 mm | 0.0 | 172 |
| July | 19.3°C | 10.9°C | 65 mm | 0.0 | 173 |
| August | 19.1°C | 10.7°C | 69 mm | 0.0 | 162 |
| September | 16.8°C | 9.0°C | 55 mm | 0.0 | 133 |
| October | 13.2°C | 6.2°C | 81 mm | 1.6 | 101 |
| November | 9.5°C | 2.9°C | 68 mm | 6.8 | 76 |
| December | 7.0°C | 0.9°C | 63 mm | 12.0 | 52 |
| Year | 12.7°C | 5.3°C | 714 mm | 56 | 1,498 |
Met Office historic station data, Leuchars, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Kipp & Zonen recorder.
How Dunfermline 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 Fife 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dunfermline | 19.3°C | 1.2°C | 930 mm |
| Rosyth 2.3 mi | 19.5°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 818 mm |
| Crossgates 2.6 mi | 18.9°C about the same | 1.0°C about the same | 963 mm |
| Inverkeithing 3.0 mi | 19.5°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 781 mm |
| Dalgety Bay and Hillend 3.7 mi | 19.5°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 778 mm |
| Cairneyhill 3.9 mi | 19.7°C about the same | 1.4°C about the same | 874 mm |
| Cowdenbeath and Lumphinnans 4.1 mi | 18.8°C 0.5°C cooler | 0.7°C 0.5°C colder | 1,028 mm |
Dunfermline 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 | 6.7°C 44°F | 1.2°C 34°F | 3.9°C | 86 mm 3.4 in |
| February | 7.4°C 45°F | 1.3°C 34°F | 4.3°C | 75 mm 2.9 in |
| March | 9.3°C 49°F | 2.2°C 36°F | 5.7°C | 69 mm 2.7 in |
| April | 11.9°C 53°F | 3.9°C 39°F | 7.8°C | 53 mm 2.1 in |
| May | 15.0°C 59°F | 6.2°C 43°F | 10.5°C | 58 mm 2.3 in |
| June | 17.5°C 63°F | 9.2°C 48°F | 13.2°C | 76 mm 3.0 in |
| July | 19.3°C 67°F | 10.9°C 52°F | 15.0°C | 84 mm 3.3 in |
| August | 19.1°C 66°F | 10.9°C 52°F | 14.8°C | 82 mm 3.2 in |
| September | 16.7°C 62°F | 9.1°C 48°F | 12.8°C | 68 mm 2.7 in |
| October | 12.9°C 55°F | 6.2°C 43°F | 9.5°C | 101 mm 4.0 in |
| November | 9.2°C 49°F | 3.3°C 38°F | 6.2°C | 83 mm 3.3 in |
| December | 6.8°C 44°F | 1.1°C 34°F | 3.9°C | 98 mm 3.8 in |
| Year | 12.6°C | 5.5°C | 9.0°C | 930 mm |
Where Dunfermline’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 6 Met Office 2 km grid squares whose centre lies inside Dunfermline’s locality.
- 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 Leuchars, 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 Dunfermline’s climate
How warm does Dunfermline get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.3°C (67°F). About 1 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 96% of UK towns.
How cold does Dunfermline get in winter?
December nights average 1.1°C (34°F). The air drops below freezing on about 46 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Dunfermline get?
About 930 mm (37 in) a year, more than 73% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (101 mm) and April the driest (53 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Leuchars (31 miles away), averages 1,498 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 Dunfermline. 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 Dunfermline →
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