Photo: Ross Watson · CC BY-SA 2.0Few UK towns get more frosts than Motherwell
A warm July spell here typically peaks at 19.5°C (67°F). Its July afternoons stay fresher than in 82% of UK towns. Wet weather is most frequent in December and least in April. Central heating does most of its work from October to April, in months below 10°C on average.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Motherwell at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Motherwell feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,063 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and April the driest. About 30 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 20th wettest of 24 North Lanarkshire towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Paisley
A frosty town: 57 air frosts and 5 days of 25°C a year
On about 57 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 5 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 Paisley
Paisley is 18 miles west of Motherwell, 32 m (105 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 | 7.1°C | 1.9°C | 147 mm | 8.5 | 39 |
| February | 7.8°C | 2.1°C | 111 mm | 7.3 | 69 |
| March | 9.9°C | 3.2°C | 100 mm | 4.3 | 103 |
| April | 12.9°C | 5.1°C | 72 mm | 0.9 | 133 |
| May | 16.1°C | 7.4°C | 63 mm | 0.1 | 184 |
| June | 18.3°C | 10.2°C | 67 mm | 0.0 | 161 |
| July | 19.7°C | 12.1°C | 76 mm | 0.0 | 149 |
| August | 19.5°C | 11.9°C | 90 mm | 0.0 | 151 |
| September | 16.7°C | 9.9°C | 99 mm | 0.0 | 116 |
| October | 12.9°C | 6.8°C | 134 mm | 0.9 | 89 |
| November | 9.6°C | 4.3°C | 133 mm | 3.6 | 54 |
| December | 6.8°C | 1.5°C | 136 mm | 9.7 | 36 |
| Year | 13.1°C | 6.4°C | 1,229 mm | 35 | 1,282 |
Met Office historic station data, Paisley, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Campbell-Stokes recorder.
How Motherwell 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 North Lanarkshire 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motherwell | 19.5°C | 1.0°C | 1,063 mm |
| Carfin 1.7 mi | 19.7°C about the same | 0.9°C about the same | 1,070 mm |
| New Stevenston 1.8 mi | 19.7°C about the same | 0.9°C about the same | 1,069 mm |
| Bellshill 2.2 mi | 19.5°C about the same | 1.1°C about the same | 1,065 mm |
| Holytown 2.4 mi | 19.2°C about the same | 1.1°C about the same | 1,064 mm |
| Newarthill 2.4 mi | 19.7°C about the same | 0.9°C about the same | 1,069 mm |
| Wishaw 2.7 mi | 19.1°C about the same | 0.7°C about the same | 1,082 mm |
Motherwell 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 | 6.6°C 44°F | 1.0°C 34°F | 3.8°C | 114 mm 4.5 in |
| February | 7.4°C 45°F | 1.2°C 34°F | 4.3°C | 92 mm 3.6 in |
| March | 9.3°C 49°F | 2.5°C 36°F | 5.9°C | 79 mm 3.1 in |
| April | 12.2°C 54°F | 4.1°C 39°F | 8.2°C | 55 mm 2.2 in |
| May | 15.6°C 60°F | 6.5°C 44°F | 11.0°C | 59 mm 2.3 in |
| June | 17.9°C 64°F | 9.5°C 49°F | 13.7°C | 68 mm 2.7 in |
| July | 19.5°C 67°F | 11.3°C 52°F | 15.4°C | 88 mm 3.5 in |
| August | 19.2°C 66°F | 11.1°C 52°F | 15.2°C | 90 mm 3.6 in |
| September | 16.6°C 62°F | 9.1°C 48°F | 12.9°C | 82 mm 3.2 in |
| October | 12.9°C 55°F | 6.1°C 43°F | 9.5°C | 112 mm 4.4 in |
| November | 9.1°C 48°F | 3.2°C 38°F | 6.2°C | 105 mm 4.1 in |
| December | 6.7°C 44°F | 0.9°C 34°F | 3.8°C | 118 mm 4.6 in |
| Year | 12.7°C | 5.6°C | 9.1°C | 1,063 mm |
Where Motherwell’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 2 Met Office 2 km grid squares whose centre lies inside Motherwell’s locality.
- 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 Paisley, 18 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 Motherwell’s climate
How warm does Motherwell get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.5°C (67°F). About 5 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 79% of UK towns.
How cold does Motherwell get in winter?
December nights average 0.9°C (34°F). The air drops below freezing on about 57 nights a year, and about 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Motherwell get?
About 1,063 mm (42 in) a year, more than 82% of UK towns. December is the wettest month (118 mm) and April the driest (55 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Paisley (18 miles away), averages 1,282 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 Motherwell. 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 Motherwell →
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.