More rain falls on Clifton than on 74% of UK towns: 941 mm (37 in) a year
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 20.3°C (69°F). October is the wettest month, April the driest. By January nights alone, it runs milder than 69% of UK towns. Windscreens need scraping on about 39 mornings a year, the nights the air drops below 0°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Clifton at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Clifton feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 941 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and April the driest. About 24 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Bradford
39 air frosts and 7 days of 25°C a year
On about 39 nights a year the air drops below freezing; days that stay below freezing are rare. About 7 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 Bradford
Bradford is 43 miles east of Clifton, 134 m (440 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 | 6.8°C | 1.8°C | 88 mm | 8.8 | 43 |
| February | 7.4°C | 1.8°C | 74 mm | 8.2 | 68 |
| March | 9.5°C | 2.9°C | 64 mm | 4.8 | 105 |
| April | 12.5°C | 4.7°C | 58 mm | 2.1 | 142 |
| May | 15.7°C | 7.2°C | 52 mm | 0.4 | 173 |
| June | 18.2°C | 10.1°C | 73 mm | 0.0 | 159 |
| July | 20.4°C | 12.2°C | 64 mm | 0.0 | 167 |
| August | 19.8°C | 12.0°C | 74 mm | 0.0 | 156 |
| September | 17.2°C | 9.9°C | 70 mm | 0.0 | 123 |
| October | 13.4°C | 7.1°C | 84 mm | 0.9 | 90 |
| November | 9.6°C | 4.1°C | 90 mm | 4.1 | 55 |
| December | 7.2°C | 2.0°C | 99 mm | 8.8 | 38 |
| Year | 13.1°C | 6.3°C | 890 mm | 38 | 1,320 |
Met Office historic station data, Bradford, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Campbell-Stokes recorder.
How Clifton 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 Lancashire 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clifton | 20.3°C | 2.1°C | 941 mm |
| Newton-with-Scales 1.1 mi | 20.2°C about the same | 2.0°C about the same | 918 mm |
| Cottam 2.5 mi | 20.3°C about the same | 2.0°C about the same | 1,061 mm |
| Freckleton 2.5 mi | 20.3°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 908 mm |
| Kirkham 2.8 mi | 20.2°C about the same | 2.0°C about the same | 926 mm |
| Hutton 3.2 mi | 20.3°C about the same | 2.1°C about the same | 964 mm |
| Longton 3.3 mi | 20.3°C about the same | 2.1°C about the same | 927 mm |
Clifton 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 | 7.5°C 46°F | 2.1°C 36°F | 4.8°C | 76 mm 3.0 in |
| February | 8.3°C 47°F | 2.2°C 36°F | 5.2°C | 67 mm 2.6 in |
| March | 10.3°C 51°F | 3.3°C 38°F | 6.8°C | 58 mm 2.3 in |
| April | 13.2°C 56°F | 5.0°C 41°F | 9.1°C | 53 mm 2.1 in |
| May | 16.3°C 61°F | 7.7°C 46°F | 12.0°C | 57 mm 2.2 in |
| June | 18.7°C 66°F | 10.5°C 51°F | 14.6°C | 68 mm 2.7 in |
| July | 20.3°C 69°F | 12.5°C 55°F | 16.4°C | 74 mm 2.9 in |
| August | 20.0°C 68°F | 12.4°C 54°F | 16.2°C | 91 mm 3.6 in |
| September | 17.8°C 64°F | 10.2°C 50°F | 14.1°C | 91 mm 3.6 in |
| October | 14.3°C 58°F | 7.5°C 46°F | 10.9°C | 108 mm 4.3 in |
| November | 10.6°C 51°F | 4.6°C 40°F | 7.6°C | 94 mm 3.7 in |
| December | 8.0°C 46°F | 2.3°C 36°F | 5.1°C | 105 mm 4.1 in |
| Year | 13.8°C | 6.7°C | 10.2°C | 941 mm |
Where Clifton’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 Clifton’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 Bradford, 43 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 Clifton’s climate
How warm does Clifton get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 20.3°C (69°F). About 7 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 68% of UK towns.
How cold does Clifton get in winter?
January nights average 2.1°C (36°F). The air drops below freezing on about 39 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Clifton get?
About 941 mm (37 in) a year, more than 74% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (108 mm) and April the driest (53 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Bradford (43 miles away), averages 1,320 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 Clifton. 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 Clifton →
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