Tain sits near the top of UK towns for frosts
High summer brings afternoon highs near 18.6°C (65°F). Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 97% of UK towns. Seasons differ by 19°C, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from October to May, which average under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Tain at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Tain feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 791 mm of rain a year
January is the wettest month and April the driest. About 18 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 9th wettest of 16 Highland towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Nairn
A frosty town: 75 air frosts and 2 days of 25°C a year
On about 75 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 2 days it stays below freezing all day. About 2 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 south-east of Tain, 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 Tain 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tain | 18.6°C | 0.1°C | 791 mm |
| Invergordon 9.2 mi | 18.2°C about the same | 1.7°C 1.6°C milder | 724 mm |
| Alness 10.5 mi | 18.4°C about the same | 1.4°C 1.3°C milder | 792 mm |
Tain 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 | 6.0°C 43°F | 0.1°C 32°F | 3.0°C | 81 mm 3.2 in |
| February | 7.2°C 45°F | 0.4°C 33°F | 3.5°C | 61 mm 2.4 in |
| March | 9.1°C 48°F | 1.6°C 35°F | 5.4°C | 54 mm 2.1 in |
| April | 11.7°C 53°F | 3.5°C 38°F | 7.5°C | 48 mm 1.9 in |
| May | 13.9°C 57°F | 5.5°C 42°F | 9.7°C | 58 mm 2.3 in |
| June | 16.3°C 61°F | 8.9°C 48°F | 12.5°C | 61 mm 2.4 in |
| July | 18.6°C 65°F | 10.6°C 51°F | 14.5°C | 62 mm 2.5 in |
| August | 18.2°C 65°F | 10.2°C 50°F | 14.2°C | 67 mm 2.6 in |
| September | 16.1°C 61°F | 8.0°C 46°F | 12.0°C | 63 mm 2.5 in |
| October | 12.4°C 54°F | 5.1°C 41°F | 8.7°C | 81 mm 3.2 in |
| November | 8.7°C 48°F | 2.2°C 36°F | 5.4°C | 76 mm 3.0 in |
| December | 6.3°C 43°F | −0.1°C 32°F | 3.1°C | 79 mm 3.1 in |
| Year | 12.0°C | 4.7°C | 8.3°C | 791 mm |
Where Tain’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the Met Office 2 km grid square nearest Tain’s centre (the town is smaller than one square).
- 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 Tain’s climate
How warm does Tain get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 18.6°C (65°F). About 2 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 92% of UK towns.
How cold does Tain get in winter?
December nights average −0.1°C (32°F). The air drops below freezing on about 75 nights a year, and about 2 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Tain get?
About 791 mm (31 in) a year, more than 53% of UK towns. January is the wettest month (81 mm) and April the driest (48 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 Tain. 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 Tain →
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.