Lancaster gets fewer frosts than 86% of UK towns
A warm July spell here typically peaks at 19.4°C (67°F). Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 85% of UK towns. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 17°C. For walks and days out, the stretch from June to August brings highs of 18–19°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Lancaster at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Lancaster feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,097 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and April the driest. About 33 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 29th wettest of 66 Lancashire towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
29 air frosts and 4 days of 25°C a year
On about 29 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 1 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 Newton Rigg
Newton Rigg is 43 miles north of Lancaster, 169 m (554 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.4°C | 0.9°C | 103 mm | 11.1 |
| February | 7.0°C | 0.9°C | 81 mm | 10.6 |
| March | 9.1°C | 1.9°C | 69 mm | 8.6 |
| April | 12.0°C | 3.3°C | 52 mm | 4.8 |
| May | 15.3°C | 5.7°C | 56 mm | 1.8 |
| June | 17.6°C | 8.7°C | 67 mm | 0.0 |
| July | 19.5°C | 10.6°C | 75 mm | 0.0 |
| August | 18.9°C | 10.3°C | 81 mm | 0.0 |
| September | 16.6°C | 8.2°C | 76 mm | 0.1 |
| October | 12.8°C | 5.7°C | 102 mm | 2.9 |
| November | 9.1°C | 2.9°C | 103 mm | 7.1 |
| December | 6.8°C | 0.7°C | 118 mm | 12.0 |
| Year | 12.6°C | 5.0°C | 981 mm | 59 |
Met Office historic station data, Newton Rigg, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Campbell-Stokes recorder.
How Lancaster 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster | 19.4°C | 2.5°C | 1,097 mm |
| Morecambe 2.6 mi | 19.7°C about the same | 2.7°C about the same | 1,045 mm |
| Halton 2.7 mi | 19.2°C about the same | 2.0°C about the same | 1,183 mm |
| Bailrigg 2.8 mi | 19.0°C about the same | 2.2°C about the same | 1,144 mm |
| Bolton-le-Sands 3.4 mi | 19.7°C about the same | 2.5°C about the same | 1,035 mm |
| Overton 3.5 mi | 19.1°C about the same | 2.9°C about the same | 1,042 mm |
| Heysham 3.6 mi | 19.4°C about the same | 2.9°C about the same | 1,027 mm |
Lancaster 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 | 7.0°C 45°F | 2.5°C 36°F | 4.7°C | 103 mm 4.0 in |
| February | 7.6°C 46°F | 2.5°C 37°F | 5.1°C | 85 mm 3.4 in |
| March | 9.4°C 49°F | 3.7°C 39°F | 6.5°C | 71 mm 2.8 in |
| April | 12.2°C 54°F | 5.5°C 42°F | 8.9°C | 60 mm 2.4 in |
| May | 15.4°C 60°F | 8.4°C 47°F | 11.9°C | 62 mm 2.5 in |
| June | 17.8°C 64°F | 11.2°C 52°F | 14.5°C | 73 mm 2.9 in |
| July | 19.4°C 67°F | 13.2°C 56°F | 16.3°C | 88 mm 3.4 in |
| August | 19.1°C 66°F | 13.1°C 56°F | 16.1°C | 103 mm 4.0 in |
| September | 17.0°C 63°F | 10.9°C 52°F | 13.9°C | 105 mm 4.1 in |
| October | 13.6°C 56°F | 8.1°C 46°F | 10.9°C | 116 mm 4.6 in |
| November | 10.0°C 50°F | 5.1°C 41°F | 7.6°C | 115 mm 4.5 in |
| December | 7.5°C 45°F | 2.7°C 37°F | 5.1°C | 118 mm 4.6 in |
| Year | 13.0°C | 7.2°C | 10.1°C | 1,097 mm |
Where Lancaster’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 4 Met Office 2 km grid squares whose centre lies inside Lancaster’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 Newton Rigg, 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 Lancaster’s climate
How warm does Lancaster get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.4°C (67°F). About 4 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 79% of UK towns.
How cold does Lancaster get in winter?
January nights average 2.5°C (36°F). The air drops below freezing on about 29 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Lancaster get?
About 1,097 mm (43 in) a year, more than 84% of UK towns. December is the wettest month (118 mm) and April the driest (60 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 Lancaster. 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 Lancaster →
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