Frosty mornings in Dover are scarcer than in 90% of UK towns
A warm July spell here typically peaks at 21.4°C (70°F). October is the wettest month, April the driest. Its yearly rainfall tops that of 69% of UK towns. Plan time outside from June to September, when highs sit at 19–22°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Dover at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Dover feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 901 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and April the driest. About 26 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 2nd wettest of 87 Kent towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Manston
26 air frosts and 8 days of 25°C a year
On about 26 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 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 Manston
Manston is 15 miles north of Dover, 49 m (161 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 | 7.6°C | 2.5°C | 51 mm | 5.9 | 64 |
| February | 8.0°C | 2.4°C | 41 mm | 5.8 | 82 |
| March | 10.3°C | 3.9°C | 37 mm | 2.7 | 130 |
| April | 13.2°C | 5.8°C | 38 mm | 0.6 | 191 |
| May | 16.3°C | 8.7°C | 50 mm | 0.0 | 224 |
| June | 19.5°C | 11.4°C | 43 mm | 0.0 | 230 |
| July | 22.1°C | 13.7°C | 47 mm | 0.0 | 236 |
| August | 22.2°C | 14.0°C | 51 mm | 0.0 | 214 |
| September | 19.1°C | 11.9°C | 49 mm | 0.0 | 168 |
| October | 15.1°C | 9.1°C | 74 mm | 0.2 | 119 |
| November | 11.0°C | 5.6°C | 72 mm | 1.3 | 76 |
| December | 8.3°C | 3.2°C | 63 mm | 5.1 | 59 |
| Year | 14.4°C | 7.7°C | 615 mm | 22 | 1,793 |
Met Office historic station data, Manston, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Kipp & Zonen recorder.
How Dover 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 Kent 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | 21.4°C | 2.4°C | 901 mm |
| Guston 1.3 mi | 21.2°C about the same | 2.1°C about the same | 819 mm |
| Whitfield 1.8 mi | 21.3°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 881 mm |
| St Margaret's at Cliffe 4.0 mi | 21.0°C about the same | 2.5°C about the same | 756 mm |
| Capel-le-Ferne 4.1 mi | 21.4°C about the same | 2.2°C about the same | 861 mm |
| Sibertswold 4.7 mi | 21.7°C about the same | 1.6°C 0.8°C colder | 836 mm |
| Eythorne 4.7 mi | 21.7°C about the same | 1.8°C 0.6°C colder | 830 mm |
Dover 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 | 7.7°C 46°F | 2.4°C 36°F | 5.0°C | 88 mm 3.4 in |
| February | 7.7°C 46°F | 1.8°C 35°F | 4.7°C | 71 mm 2.8 in |
| March | 10.0°C 50°F | 3.3°C 38°F | 6.6°C | 53 mm 2.1 in |
| April | 13.0°C 55°F | 4.8°C 41°F | 8.9°C | 52 mm 2.1 in |
| May | 16.3°C 61°F | 8.0°C 46°F | 12.1°C | 58 mm 2.3 in |
| June | 19.1°C 66°F | 10.4°C 51°F | 14.8°C | 57 mm 2.3 in |
| July | 21.4°C 70°F | 12.7°C 55°F | 17.1°C | 58 mm 2.3 in |
| August | 21.6°C 71°F | 13.0°C 55°F | 17.3°C | 68 mm 2.7 in |
| September | 19.0°C 66°F | 11.2°C 52°F | 15.1°C | 71 mm 2.8 in |
| October | 15.1°C 59°F | 8.5°C 47°F | 11.7°C | 110 mm 4.3 in |
| November | 11.0°C 52°F | 5.2°C 41°F | 8.0°C | 106 mm 4.2 in |
| December | 8.1°C 47°F | 2.6°C 37°F | 5.3°C | 108 mm 4.2 in |
| Year | 14.1°C | 7.0°C | 10.6°C | 901 mm |
Where Dover’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 Dover’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 Manston, 15 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 Dover’s climate
How warm does Dover get in summer?
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 21.6°C (71°F). About 8 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 61% of UK towns.
How cold does Dover get in winter?
February nights average 1.8°C (35°F). The air drops below freezing on about 26 nights a year, and about 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Dover get?
About 901 mm (35 in) a year, more than 69% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (110 mm) and April the driest (52 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Manston (15 miles away), averages 1,793 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 Dover. 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 Dover →
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