Darwen is among the wettest of UK towns: 1,434 mm (56 in) of rain a year
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 18.7°C (66°F) on average. Only 18°C separates winter nights from summer afternoons. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in 95% of UK towns. From June to August, highs of 17–19°C make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Darwen at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Darwen feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,434 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and April the driest. About 45 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 3rd wettest of 66 Lancashire towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Bradford
44 air frosts and 4 days of 25°C a year
On about 44 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 2 days it stays below freezing all day. About 4 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 30 miles east of Darwen, 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 Darwen 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darwen | 18.7°C | 1.3°C | 1,434 mm |
| Hoddlesden 1.4 mi | 18.5°C about the same | 1.1°C about the same | 1,500 mm |
| Blackburn 3.5 mi | 19.9°C 1.2°C warmer | 1.7°C about the same | 1,156 mm |
| Brinscall 4.2 mi | 19.5°C 0.8°C warmer | 1.3°C about the same | 1,184 mm |
| Oswaldtwistle 4.2 mi | 19.8°C 1.1°C warmer | 1.9°C 0.6°C milder | 1,140 mm |
| Edgworth 4.6 mi | 19.3°C 0.6°C warmer | 1.2°C about the same | 1,416 mm |
| Rishton 5.3 mi | 19.8°C 1.1°C warmer | 2.0°C 0.8°C milder | 1,130 mm |
Darwen 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 | 6.2°C 43°F | 1.3°C 34°F | 3.8°C | 128 mm 5.1 in |
| February | 6.4°C 44°F | 0.9°C 34°F | 3.7°C | 117 mm 4.6 in |
| March | 8.4°C 47°F | 2.0°C 36°F | 5.2°C | 102 mm 4.0 in |
| April | 11.5°C 53°F | 3.7°C 39°F | 7.6°C | 83 mm 3.3 in |
| May | 14.6°C 58°F | 6.4°C 44°F | 10.5°C | 86 mm 3.4 in |
| June | 17.0°C 63°F | 9.2°C 49°F | 13.1°C | 101 mm 4.0 in |
| July | 18.7°C 66°F | 11.2°C 52°F | 14.9°C | 112 mm 4.4 in |
| August | 18.4°C 65°F | 11.1°C 52°F | 14.8°C | 123 mm 4.8 in |
| September | 16.0°C 61°F | 9.1°C 48°F | 12.6°C | 122 mm 4.8 in |
| October | 12.4°C 54°F | 6.4°C 43°F | 9.4°C | 149 mm 5.9 in |
| November | 8.8°C 48°F | 3.6°C 38°F | 6.2°C | 148 mm 5.8 in |
| December | 6.4°C 43°F | 1.2°C 34°F | 3.8°C | 162 mm 6.4 in |
| Year | 12.1°C | 5.5°C | 8.8°C | 1,434 mm |
Where Darwen’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 Darwen’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, 30 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 Darwen’s climate
How warm does Darwen get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 18.7°C (66°F). About 4 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 80% of UK towns.
How cold does Darwen get in winter?
February nights average 0.9°C (34°F). The air drops below freezing on about 44 nights a year, and about 2 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Darwen get?
About 1,434 mm (56 in) a year, more than 95% of UK towns. December is the wettest month (162 mm) and April the driest (83 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Bradford (30 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 Darwen. 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 Darwen →
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.