Wigan is wetter than 79% of UK towns: 1,007 mm (40 in) of rain a year
Winter’s chill peaks in January, at about 2.1°C (36°F) after dark. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 18°C. Frost is rarer than in 76% of UK towns: about 35 nights a year drop below freezing. Gritters and ice scrapers earn their keep on roughly 35 nights a year below 0°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Wigan at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Wigan feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,007 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and April the driest. About 27 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 44th wettest of 81 Greater Manchester towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Bradford
35 air frosts and 8 days of 25°C a year
On about 35 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 8 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 Bradford
Bradford is 41 miles north-east of Wigan, 134 m (440 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 | 1.8°C | 88 mm | 8.8 | 43 |
| February | 7.4°C | 1.8°C | 74 mm | 8.2 | 68 |
| March | 9.5°C | 2.9°C | 64 mm | 4.8 | 105 |
| April | 12.5°C | 4.7°C | 58 mm | 2.1 | 142 |
| May | 15.7°C | 7.2°C | 52 mm | 0.4 | 173 |
| June | 18.2°C | 10.1°C | 73 mm | 0.0 | 159 |
| July | 20.4°C | 12.2°C | 64 mm | 0.0 | 167 |
| August | 19.8°C | 12.0°C | 74 mm | 0.0 | 156 |
| September | 17.2°C | 9.9°C | 70 mm | 0.0 | 123 |
| October | 13.4°C | 7.1°C | 84 mm | 0.9 | 90 |
| November | 9.6°C | 4.1°C | 90 mm | 4.1 | 55 |
| December | 7.2°C | 2.0°C | 99 mm | 8.8 | 38 |
| Year | 13.1°C | 6.3°C | 890 mm | 38 | 1,320 |
Met Office historic station data, Bradford, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Campbell-Stokes recorder.
How Wigan 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 Greater Manchester 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wigan | 20.6°C | 2.1°C | 1,007 mm |
| Ince-in-Makerfield 1.8 mi | 20.7°C about the same | 2.1°C about the same | 1,037 mm |
| Orrell 2.5 mi | 20.6°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 1,001 mm |
| Shevington 2.7 mi | 20.5°C about the same | 2.1°C about the same | 999 mm |
| Platt Bridge and Abram 2.8 mi | 20.8°C about the same | 2.1°C about the same | 1,037 mm |
| Ashton-in-Makerfield 3.2 mi | 20.8°C about the same | 2.0°C about the same | 944 mm |
| Standish 3.2 mi | 20.2°C about the same | 1.8°C about the same | 1,072 mm |
Wigan 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 | 7.4°C 45°F | 2.1°C 36°F | 4.8°C | 88 mm 3.5 in |
| February | 8.0°C 46°F | 2.2°C 36°F | 5.1°C | 74 mm 2.9 in |
| March | 10.3°C 51°F | 3.3°C 38°F | 6.8°C | 65 mm 2.6 in |
| April | 13.2°C 56°F | 5.0°C 41°F | 9.1°C | 60 mm 2.4 in |
| May | 16.4°C 61°F | 7.8°C 46°F | 12.1°C | 64 mm 2.5 in |
| June | 18.9°C 66°F | 10.6°C 51°F | 14.7°C | 76 mm 3.0 in |
| July | 20.6°C 69°F | 12.5°C 55°F | 16.6°C | 81 mm 3.2 in |
| August | 20.2°C 68°F | 12.5°C 55°F | 16.3°C | 89 mm 3.5 in |
| September | 17.8°C 64°F | 10.2°C 50°F | 14.0°C | 90 mm 3.5 in |
| October | 14.0°C 57°F | 7.5°C 45°F | 10.8°C | 110 mm 4.3 in |
| November | 10.2°C 50°F | 4.5°C 40°F | 7.4°C | 103 mm 4.1 in |
| December | 7.8°C 46°F | 2.3°C 36°F | 5.0°C | 109 mm 4.3 in |
| Year | 13.7°C | 6.7°C | 10.2°C | 1,007 mm |
Where Wigan’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 Wigan’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 Bradford, 41 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 Wigan’s climate
How warm does Wigan get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 20.6°C (69°F). About 8 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 61% of UK towns.
How cold does Wigan get in winter?
January nights average 2.1°C (36°F). The air drops below freezing on about 35 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Wigan get?
About 1,007 mm (40 in) a year, more than 79% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (110 mm) and April the driest (60 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Bradford (41 miles away), averages 1,320 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 Wigan. 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 Wigan →
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