Inverness has cooler summers than 90% of UK towns
Midwinter brings lows of about 1.4°C (35°F). In January, nights here are colder than in 75% of UK towns. October is the wettest month, April the driest. Homes need heating from October to April, the months averaging under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Inverness at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Inverness feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 769 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and April the driest. About 17 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 10th wettest of 16 Highland towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Nairn
45 air frosts and 3 days of 25°C a year
On about 45 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 3 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 Nairn
Nairn is 17 miles north-east of Inverness, 8 m (26 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 | 6.9°C | 0.9°C | 48 mm | 10.6 | 49 |
| February | 7.5°C | 1.0°C | 44 mm | 10.0 | 72 |
| March | 9.4°C | 2.2°C | 41 mm | 6.8 | 105 |
| April | 11.9°C | 3.8°C | 43 mm | 3.2 | 138 |
| May | 14.3°C | 5.8°C | 51 mm | 0.8 | 186 |
| June | 16.6°C | 8.8°C | 58 mm | 0.0 | 148 |
| July | 18.8°C | 10.8°C | 58 mm | 0.0 | 149 |
| August | 18.6°C | 10.6°C | 65 mm | 0.0 | 145 |
| September | 16.2°C | 8.7°C | 60 mm | 0.1 | 115 |
| October | 12.9°C | 5.9°C | 70 mm | 1.3 | 83 |
| November | 9.6°C | 3.0°C | 56 mm | 5.4 | 58 |
| December | 6.8°C | 0.5°C | 58 mm | 12.3 | 36 |
| Year | 12.5°C | 5.2°C | 651 mm | 51 | 1,284 |
Met Office historic station data, Nairn there is a site change in 1998, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Campbell-Stokes recorder.
How Inverness 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 Highland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inverness | 19.1°C | 1.4°C | 769 mm |
| Milton of Leys 2.1 mi | 18.0°C 1.1°C cooler | 0.8°C 0.6°C colder | 945 mm |
| Westhill 2.6 mi | 19.1°C about the same | 1.0°C about the same | 757 mm |
| Smithton 2.9 mi | 19.1°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 744 mm |
| Culloden 3.6 mi | 19.1°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 744 mm |
| Muir of Ord 9.3 mi | 19.2°C about the same | 0.7°C 0.8°C colder | 941 mm |
| Dingwall 12.0 mi | 18.2°C 0.8°C cooler | −0.1°C 1.5°C colder | 1,011 mm |
Inverness 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 | 1.4°C 35°F | 4.2°C | 78 mm 3.1 in |
| February | 7.6°C 46°F | 1.4°C 35°F | 4.6°C | 61 mm 2.4 in |
| March | 9.5°C 49°F | 2.7°C 37°F | 6.1°C | 55 mm 2.1 in |
| April | 12.1°C 54°F | 4.3°C 40°F | 8.2°C | 44 mm 1.7 in |
| May | 14.9°C 59°F | 6.6°C 44°F | 10.7°C | 56 mm 2.2 in |
| June | 17.1°C 63°F | 9.6°C 49°F | 13.3°C | 62 mm 2.5 in |
| July | 19.1°C 66°F | 11.5°C 53°F | 15.3°C | 61 mm 2.4 in |
| August | 18.6°C 66°F | 11.4°C 52°F | 15.0°C | 66 mm 2.6 in |
| September | 16.5°C 62°F | 9.4°C 49°F | 13.0°C | 63 mm 2.5 in |
| October | 12.7°C 55°F | 6.3°C 43°F | 9.6°C | 80 mm 3.1 in |
| November | 9.4°C 49°F | 3.7°C 39°F | 6.5°C | 68 mm 2.7 in |
| December | 7.1°C 45°F | 1.4°C 34°F | 4.3°C | 76 mm 3.0 in |
| Year | 12.6°C | 5.8°C | 9.2°C | 769 mm |
Where Inverness’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 Inverness’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 Nairn there is a site change in 1998, 17 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 Inverness’s climate
How warm does Inverness get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.1°C (66°F). About 3 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 86% of UK towns.
How cold does Inverness get in winter?
December nights average 1.4°C (34°F). The air drops below freezing on about 45 nights a year, and about 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Inverness get?
About 769 mm (30 in) a year, less than 51% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (80 mm) and April the driest (44 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Nairn (17 miles away), averages 1,284 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 Inverness. 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 Inverness →
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.