Photo: Dr Neil Clifton · CC BY-SA 2.0Whitworth has some of the coldest winter nights among UK towns
Sunny July days climb to about 19.0°C (66°F). Of the 66 Lancashire towns, it is the wettest. The rainiest month is December; the driest is May. Gritters and ice scrapers earn their keep on roughly 57 nights a year below 0°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Whitworth at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Whitworth feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,514 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and May the driest. About 51 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. The wettest of 66 Lancashire towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Bradford
A frosty town: 57 air frosts and 4 days of 25°C a year
On about 57 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 3 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 20 miles north-east of Whitworth, 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 Whitworth 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitworth | 19.0°C | 0.7°C | 1,514 mm |
| Wardle 1.9 mi | 20.0°C 1.0°C warmer | 1.2°C about the same | 1,293 mm |
| Bacup 2.8 mi | 18.5°C about the same | 0.8°C about the same | 1,489 mm |
| Rochdale 2.9 mi | 19.8°C 0.8°C warmer | 1.4°C 0.7°C milder | 1,299 mm |
| Littleborough 3.2 mi | 19.5°C about the same | 1.3°C 0.6°C milder | 1,233 mm |
| Summit 3.6 mi | 19.5°C about the same | 1.0°C about the same | 1,236 mm |
| Milnrow 4.2 mi | 19.6°C 0.6°C warmer | 1.4°C 0.7°C milder | 1,256 mm |
Whitworth 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 | 5.9°C 43°F | 0.7°C 33°F | 3.3°C | 154 mm 6.1 in |
| February | 6.3°C 43°F | 0.6°C 33°F | 3.4°C | 129 mm 5.1 in |
| March | 8.3°C 47°F | 1.6°C 35°F | 5.0°C | 113 mm 4.4 in |
| April | 11.3°C 52°F | 3.4°C 38°F | 7.4°C | 86 mm 3.4 in |
| May | 14.4°C 58°F | 6.0°C 43°F | 10.2°C | 83 mm 3.3 in |
| June | 17.1°C 63°F | 8.7°C 48°F | 12.9°C | 101 mm 4.0 in |
| July | 19.0°C 66°F | 10.7°C 51°F | 14.8°C | 113 mm 4.5 in |
| August | 18.5°C 65°F | 10.6°C 51°F | 14.6°C | 125 mm 4.9 in |
| September | 16.0°C 61°F | 8.6°C 47°F | 12.3°C | 122 mm 4.8 in |
| October | 12.3°C 54°F | 6.0°C 43°F | 9.2°C | 149 mm 5.9 in |
| November | 8.6°C 47°F | 3.1°C 38°F | 5.9°C | 158 mm 6.2 in |
| December | 6.2°C 43°F | 0.9°C 34°F | 3.6°C | 181 mm 7.1 in |
| Year | 12.0°C | 5.1°C | 8.5°C | 1,514 mm |
Where Whitworth’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 Whitworth’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, 20 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 Whitworth’s climate
How warm does Whitworth get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.0°C (66°F). About 4 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 80% of UK towns.
How cold does Whitworth get in winter?
February nights average 0.6°C (33°F). The air drops below freezing on about 57 nights a year, and about 3 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Whitworth get?
About 1,514 mm (60 in) a year, more than 96% of UK towns. December is the wettest month (181 mm) and May the driest (83 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Bradford (20 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 Whitworth. 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 Whitworth →
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.