Few UK towns have cooler summers than Thurso
Winter’s chill peaks in January, at about 1.1°C (34°F) after dark. Its January nights bite harder than in 89% of UK towns. The year changes little: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are only 16°C apart. For walks and days out, July and August bring highs of 17°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Thurso at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Thurso feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 987 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and May the driest. About 21 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 5th wettest of 16 Highland towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
46 air frosts and under 1 days of 25°C a year
On about 46 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 Wick Airport
Wick Airport is 19 miles south-east of Thurso, 36 m (118 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.4°C | 1.6°C | 73 mm | 7.6 |
| February | 6.6°C | 1.3°C | 63 mm | 8.5 |
| March | 8.1°C | 2.3°C | 57 mm | 5.8 |
| April | 10.0°C | 3.9°C | 47 mm | 3.2 |
| May | 12.0°C | 5.5°C | 50 mm | 1.5 |
| June | 14.3°C | 8.2°C | 55 mm | 0.0 |
| July | 16.2°C | 10.1°C | 62 mm | 0.0 |
| August | 16.3°C | 10.4°C | 70 mm | 0.0 |
| September | 14.7°C | 8.9°C | 66 mm | 0.2 |
| October | 11.8°C | 6.5°C | 93 mm | 0.7 |
| November | 8.9°C | 3.9°C | 87 mm | 3.4 |
| December | 6.8°C | 1.7°C | 71 mm | 8.7 |
| Year | 11.0°C | 5.4°C | 794 mm | 40 |
Met Office historic station data, Wick Airport, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Campbell-Stokes recorder.
How Thurso 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.
Thurso 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 | 1.1°C 34°F | 4.0°C | 103 mm 4.0 in |
| February | 7.2°C 45°F | 0.9°C 34°F | 4.0°C | 87 mm 3.4 in |
| March | 8.7°C 48°F | 1.8°C 35°F | 5.2°C | 74 mm 2.9 in |
| April | 10.8°C 51°F | 3.4°C 38°F | 7.0°C | 60 mm 2.4 in |
| May | 13.4°C 56°F | 5.1°C 41°F | 9.2°C | 56 mm 2.2 in |
| June | 15.4°C 60°F | 7.9°C 46°F | 11.6°C | 63 mm 2.5 in |
| July | 17.2°C 63°F | 9.8°C 50°F | 13.5°C | 69 mm 2.7 in |
| August | 17.4°C 63°F | 9.8°C 50°F | 13.6°C | 67 mm 2.6 in |
| September | 15.5°C 60°F | 8.3°C 47°F | 11.8°C | 87 mm 3.4 in |
| October | 12.4°C 54°F | 5.8°C 42°F | 9.1°C | 120 mm 4.7 in |
| November | 9.4°C 49°F | 3.2°C 38°F | 6.3°C | 106 mm 4.2 in |
| December | 7.4°C 45°F | 1.3°C 34°F | 4.3°C | 96 mm 3.8 in |
| Year | 11.8°C | 4.9°C | 8.3°C | 987 mm |
Where Thurso’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 1 Met Office 2 km grid square whose centre lies inside Thurso’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 Wick Airport, 19 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 Thurso’s climate
How warm does Thurso get in summer?
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 17.4°C (63°F). About under 1 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than almost every UK town.
How cold does Thurso get in winter?
February nights average 0.9°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 Thurso get?
About 987 mm (39 in) a year, more than 77% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (120 mm) and May the driest (56 mm).
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 Thurso. 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 Thurso →
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.