Higham is among the driest of UK towns: 581 mm (23 in) of rain a year
Winter’s chill peaks in January, at about 2.5°C (37°F) after dark. Only 21°C separates winter nights from summer afternoons. Its July heat outdoes that of 92% of UK towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to April, which average under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Higham at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Higham feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 581 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and March the driest. About 12 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 75th wettest of 87 Kent towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Manston
34 air frosts and 18 days of 25°C a year
On about 34 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 18 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 38 miles east of Higham, 49 m (161 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 | 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 Higham 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Higham | 23.0°C | 2.5°C | 581 mm |
| Shorne 1.3 mi | 22.9°C about the same | 2.2°C about the same | 584 mm |
| Cliffe Woods 2.1 mi | 23.0°C about the same | 2.7°C about the same | 578 mm |
| Rochester 2.8 mi | 23.0°C about the same | 2.5°C about the same | 666 mm |
| Cuxton 3.0 mi | 22.7°C about the same | 2.4°C about the same | 728 mm |
| Chattenden 3.2 mi | 23.1°C about the same | 2.8°C about the same | 554 mm |
| Gravesend 3.5 mi | 23.2°C about the same | 2.5°C about the same | 563 mm |
Higham 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 | 8.0°C 46°F | 2.5°C 37°F | 5.3°C | 55 mm 2.2 in |
| February | 8.5°C 47°F | 2.3°C 36°F | 5.4°C | 41 mm 1.6 in |
| March | 11.2°C 52°F | 3.7°C 39°F | 7.4°C | 34 mm 1.3 in |
| April | 14.2°C 58°F | 5.2°C 41°F | 9.7°C | 39 mm 1.5 in |
| May | 17.5°C 63°F | 8.1°C 47°F | 12.8°C | 42 mm 1.7 in |
| June | 20.6°C 69°F | 11.0°C 52°F | 15.8°C | 48 mm 1.9 in |
| July | 23.0°C 73°F | 13.3°C 56°F | 18.1°C | 43 mm 1.7 in |
| August | 22.7°C 73°F | 13.3°C 56°F | 18.0°C | 46 mm 1.8 in |
| September | 19.8°C 68°F | 10.9°C 52°F | 15.4°C | 51 mm 2.0 in |
| October | 15.5°C 60°F | 8.3°C 47°F | 11.9°C | 69 mm 2.7 in |
| November | 11.3°C 52°F | 5.2°C 41°F | 8.2°C | 60 mm 2.4 in |
| December | 8.6°C 47°F | 2.9°C 37°F | 5.7°C | 53 mm 2.1 in |
| Year | 15.1°C | 7.2°C | 11.1°C | 581 mm |
Where Higham’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 Higham’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 Manston, 38 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 Higham’s climate
How warm does Higham get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 23.0°C (73°F). About 18 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), more than 84% of UK towns.
How cold does Higham get in winter?
February nights average 2.3°C (36°F). The air drops below freezing on about 34 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Higham get?
About 581 mm (23 in) a year, less than 96% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (69 mm) and March the driest (34 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Manston (38 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 Higham. 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 Higham →
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