Methil has some of the coolest summers among towns in England and Wales
A typical July afternoon reaches 19.1°C (66°F), a January night drops to 1.8°C (35°F), and 715 mm (28 in) of rain falls in a year. Frost, though, is rarer than in 82% of towns in England and Wales: about 31 nights a year. Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Methil at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Methil feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 715 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and April the driest. About 15 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 24th wettest of 26 Fife towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Leuchars
31 air frosts and under 1 days of 25°C a year
On about 31 nights a year the air drops below freezing; days that stay below freezing are rare. About under 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 15 miles north-east of Methil, 10 m (33 ft) above sea level. It is the nearest of the 37 long-running stations the Met Office publishes in full.
| 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 Methil compares
Against the 2,178 towns and cities of 2,500 or more in England and Wales, each with its own Met Office averages, and its place among Fife towns that size. Scotland’s towns are placed among England and Wales’s, on the same Met Office grid.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Methil | 19.1°C | 1.8°C | 715 mm |
| Buckhaven 1.0 mi | 19.3°C about the same | 1.8°C about the same | 749 mm |
| Leven 1.1 mi | 19.3°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 685 mm |
| Kennoway 1.9 mi | 19.1°C about the same | 1.3°C about the same | 820 mm |
| Glenrothes 5.9 mi | 19.0°C about the same | 1.0°C 0.8°C colder | 898 mm |
| Kirkcaldy and Dysart 7.1 mi | 19.1°C about the same | 1.2°C 0.5°C colder | 869 mm |
| Leslie 7.4 mi | 18.7°C about the same | 0.7°C 1.1°C colder | 969 mm |
Methil 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 | 6.9°C 44°F | 1.8°C 35°F | 4.4°C | 64 mm 2.5 in |
| February | 7.6°C 46°F | 2.0°C 36°F | 4.8°C | 55 mm 2.2 in |
| March | 9.5°C 49°F | 3.0°C 37°F | 6.2°C | 49 mm 1.9 in |
| April | 11.8°C 53°F | 4.6°C 40°F | 8.2°C | 43 mm 1.7 in |
| May | 14.5°C 58°F | 6.8°C 44°F | 10.7°C | 50 mm 2.0 in |
| June | 17.1°C 63°F | 9.6°C 49°F | 13.3°C | 60 mm 2.4 in |
| July | 19.1°C 66°F | 11.4°C 53°F | 15.2°C | 64 mm 2.5 in |
| August | 19.0°C 66°F | 11.3°C 52°F | 15.1°C | 68 mm 2.7 in |
| September | 16.7°C 62°F | 9.8°C 50°F | 13.2°C | 55 mm 2.2 in |
| October | 13.2°C 56°F | 7.1°C 45°F | 10.1°C | 76 mm 3.0 in |
| November | 9.7°C 50°F | 4.3°C 40°F | 7.0°C | 67 mm 2.6 in |
| December | 7.3°C 45°F | 2.0°C 36°F | 4.6°C | 63 mm 2.5 in |
| Year | 12.7°C | 6.1°C | 9.4°C | 715 mm |
Where Methil’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 2 Met Office 2 km grid squares whose centre lies inside Methil’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, 15 miles away, months of 1991–2020 averaged.
- Comparisons: every town and city of 2,500 or more in England and Wales, read the same way; Scotland’s towns are placed among them.
Met Office HadUK-Grid · Met Office Climate Data Portal · Historic station data. Open Government Licence v3.0.
Questions about Methil’s climate
How warm does Methil get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.1°C (66°F). About under 1 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than almost every town in England and Wales.
How cold does Methil get in winter?
January nights average 1.8°C (35°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 Methil get?
About 715 mm (28 in) a year, less than 56% of towns in England and Wales. October is the wettest month (76 mm) and April the driest (43 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Leuchars (15 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 Methil. 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 Methil →
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.