Read is wetter than 90% of UK towns: 1,204 mm (47 in) of rain a year
Winter’s chill peaks in January, at about 2.0°C (36°F) after dark. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 80% of UK towns. Rain peaks in December and eases off in April. The outdoor season runs from June to August, with highs of 18–20°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Read at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Read feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,204 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and April the driest. About 29 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Bradford
38 air frosts and 6 days of 25°C a year
On about 38 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 6 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 24 miles east of Read, 134 m (440 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 | 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 Read 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Read | 19.7°C | 2.0°C | 1,204 mm |
| Padiham 1.8 mi | 20.0°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 1,154 mm |
| Sabden 1.8 mi | 19.7°C about the same | 1.1°C 0.8°C colder | 1,221 mm |
| Hapton 2.4 mi | 19.7°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 1,163 mm |
| Clayton-le-Moors 2.5 mi | 19.8°C about the same | 2.1°C about the same | 1,132 mm |
| Huncoat 2.6 mi | 18.4°C 1.3°C cooler | 1.7°C about the same | 1,325 mm |
| Great Harwood 2.7 mi | 20.0°C about the same | 1.8°C about the same | 1,134 mm |
Read 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 | 6.9°C 44°F | 2.0°C 36°F | 4.4°C | 102 mm 4.0 in |
| February | 7.2°C 45°F | 1.7°C 35°F | 4.5°C | 102 mm 4.0 in |
| March | 9.3°C 49°F | 2.8°C 37°F | 6.0°C | 86 mm 3.4 in |
| April | 12.3°C 54°F | 4.4°C 40°F | 8.4°C | 65 mm 2.6 in |
| May | 15.4°C 60°F | 7.1°C 45°F | 11.2°C | 72 mm 2.8 in |
| June | 18.0°C 64°F | 9.9°C 50°F | 13.9°C | 84 mm 3.3 in |
| July | 19.7°C 67°F | 11.9°C 53°F | 15.8°C | 96 mm 3.8 in |
| August | 19.3°C 67°F | 11.8°C 53°F | 15.6°C | 103 mm 4.1 in |
| September | 16.8°C 62°F | 9.8°C 50°F | 13.3°C | 104 mm 4.1 in |
| October | 13.2°C 56°F | 7.1°C 45°F | 10.2°C | 121 mm 4.8 in |
| November | 9.4°C 49°F | 4.2°C 39°F | 6.8°C | 124 mm 4.9 in |
| December | 7.0°C 45°F | 1.9°C 35°F | 4.4°C | 145 mm 5.7 in |
| Year | 12.9°C | 6.2°C | 9.5°C | 1,204 mm |
Where Read’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 Read’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, 24 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 Read’s climate
How warm does Read get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.7°C (67°F). About 6 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 72% of UK towns.
How cold does Read get in winter?
February nights average 1.7°C (35°F). The air drops below freezing on about 38 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Read get?
About 1,204 mm (47 in) a year, more than 90% of UK towns. December is the wettest month (145 mm) and April the driest (65 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Bradford (24 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 Read. 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 Read →
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