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View of Southwark Cathedral from Borough High StreetPhoto: Robert Lamb · CC BY-SA 2.0
Climate in Southwark · Met Office 1991–2020 averages

Southwark is among the UK towns with the most days of 25 degrees or more

Nights in January average 3.1°C (38°F). Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 95% of UK towns. The rainiest month is October; the driest is March. Expect about 22 frosty starts a year, nights when the air falls below freezing.

July afternoons: warmer than almost every UK town
January nights: milder than 95% of UK towns
Rain a year: drier than 86% of UK towns

Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.

A year in Southwark at a glance

Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.

Jan9°C3°C
Feb9°C3°CColdest nights
Mar12°C5°C
Apr15°C6°C
May18°C9°C
Jun21°C12°C
Jul24°C14°CWarmest
Aug23°C14°C
Sep20°C12°C
Oct16°C9°CWettest
Nov now12°C6°C
Dec9°C3°C
A normal year

What a year in Southwark feels like

Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.

Winter
9°C / 3°C
48°F / 38°F · 22 air frosts a year
Spring
15°C / 7°C
59°F / 44°F · 128 mm of rain
Summer
23°C / 13°C
73°F / 56°F · 27 days of 25°C+ a year
Autumn
16°C / 9°C
61°F / 48°F · 183 mm of rain, the wettest season
Best months to be outsideMayJunJulAugSepHighs of 17–27°C (63–81°F) and nights of 8°C (46°F) or more
Rain

About 629 mm of rain a year

October is the wettest month and March the driest. About 14 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 16th wettest of 33 London boroughs of 2,500+.

629 mm
Rain a year (25 in)
Drier than 86% of UK towns
14
Days a year with 10 mm of rain or more
1,597 hrs
Sunshine a year at Heathrow
16 miles away

Rain by month

Millimetres

67 mm
JFMAMJJASOND

Sunshine by month

Hours of bright sunshine at Heathrow

206 h
JFMAMJJASOND
Frost & warm days

22 air frosts and 27 days of 25°C a year

On about 22 nights a year the air drops below freezing; days that stay below freezing are rare. About 27 days a year reach 25°C (77°F).

22
Air frosts a year (below 0°C)
Fewer frosts than 93% of UK towns
under 1
Days that stay below 0°C
27
Days of 25°C (77°F) or more
More warm days than almost every UK town

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.

Weather station

The Met Office station at Heathrow

Heathrow is 16 miles west of Southwark, 25 m (82 ft) above sea level. It is the nearest of the 37 long-running stations the Met Office publishes in full.

MonthHighLowRainAir frostsSun (hours)
January8.4°C2.7°C59 mm6.859
February9.0°C2.6°C45 mm6.276
March11.7°C4.1°C39 mm3.0120
April15.0°C6.0°C42 mm0.8169
May18.4°C9.1°C46 mm0.0197
June21.6°C12.0°C47 mm0.0197
July23.9°C14.2°C46 mm0.0206
August23.4°C14.1°C54 mm0.0192
September20.2°C11.6°C50 mm0.0150
October15.8°C8.8°C65 mm0.3111
November11.5°C5.3°C67 mm2.768
December8.8°C3.1°C57 mm7.253
Year15.6°C7.8°C616 mm271,597

Met Office historic station data, Heathrow (London Airport), 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Kipp & Zonen recorder.

Compared with other towns

How Southwark 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 London boroughs that size.

July afternoons23.6°C (75°F)
Warmer than almost every UK town12th warmest of 33 London boroughs
January nights3.1°C (38°F)
Milder than 95% of UK towns5th mildest of 33 London boroughs
Rain a year629 mm (25 in)
Drier than 86% of UK towns16th wettest of 33 London boroughs
Air frosts a year22 nights
Fewer frosts than 93% of UK towns25th frostiest of 33 London boroughs
Days of 25°C or more27 days
More warm days than almost every UK town9th most 25°C days of 33 London boroughs
Next door

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.

TownJuly highJanuary lowRain a year
Southwark23.6°C3.1°C629 mm
Lambeth 2.4 mi23.7°C about the same3.1°C about the same611 mm
City of London 2.8 mi23.8°C about the same3.2°C about the same629 mm
Lewisham 2.9 mi23.4°C about the same3.0°C about the same627 mm
Tower Hamlets 3.0 mi23.8°C about the same3.2°C about the same617 mm
Westminster 4.7 mi23.8°C about the same3.1°C about the same635 mm
Wandsworth 4.9 mi23.7°C about the same2.9°C about the same618 mm
Month by month

Southwark weather by month

Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, for the town itself (the Met Office’s HadUK-Grid).

MonthHighLowMeanRain
January8.6°C 47°F3.1°C 38°F5.8°C57 mm 2.2 in
February9.2°C 48°F3.0°C 37°F6.1°C44 mm 1.7 in
March11.8°C 53°F4.7°C 40°F8.1°C38 mm 1.5 in
April15.1°C 59°F6.3°C 43°F10.7°C44 mm 1.7 in
May18.5°C 65°F9.2°C 48°F13.9°C47 mm 1.8 in
June21.4°C 70°F12.0°C 54°F16.7°C51 mm 2.0 in
July23.6°C 75°F14.2°C 57°F18.9°C48 mm 1.9 in
August23.3°C 74°F14.1°C 57°F18.7°C59 mm 2.3 in
September20.1°C 68°F11.6°C 53°F15.9°C51 mm 2.0 in
October15.9°C 61°F9.0°C 48°F12.4°C67 mm 2.6 in
November11.6°C 53°F5.7°C 42°F8.7°C65 mm 2.6 in
December8.9°C 48°F3.5°C 38°F6.3°C60 mm 2.4 in
Year15.7°C8.0°C11.9°C629 mm
Sources

Where Southwark’s numbers come from

Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.

  • Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 7 Met Office 2 km grid squares whose centre lies inside Southwark’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 Heathrow (London Airport), 16 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 Southwark’s climate

How warm does Southwark get in summer?

July is the warmest month, with average highs of 23.6°C (75°F). About 27 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), more than almost every UK town.

How cold does Southwark get in winter?

February nights average 3.0°C (37°F). The air drops below freezing on about 22 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.

How much rain does Southwark get?

About 629 mm (25 in) a year, less than 86% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (67 mm) and March the driest (38 mm).

How sunny is it?

The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Heathrow (16 miles away), averages 1,597 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 Southwark. 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 Southwark →

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.