Dalton is among the frostiest of UK towns
A warm July spell here typically peaks at 21.1°C (70°F). Seasons differ by 21°C, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. Its yearly rainfall falls short of 87% of UK towns. Long walks are most pleasant from June to September, when afternoons reach 18–21°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Dalton at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Dalton feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 626 mm of rain a year
August is the wettest month and March the driest. About 13 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Bradford
A frosty town: 64 air frosts and 10 days of 25°C a year
On about 64 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 10 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 31 miles south-west of Dalton, 134 m (440 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 | 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 Dalton 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 Yorkshire 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dalton | 21.1°C | 0.8°C | 626 mm |
| Sowerby 3.1 mi | 20.9°C about the same | 0.6°C about the same | 712 mm |
| Thirsk 3.7 mi | 20.9°C about the same | 0.6°C about the same | 712 mm |
| Dishforth 3.8 mi | 21.4°C about the same | 1.2°C about the same | 653 mm |
| Langthorpe 6.2 mi | 21.4°C about the same | 1.3°C 0.5°C milder | 668 mm |
| Boroughbridge 6.5 mi | 21.2°C about the same | 1.3°C 0.5°C milder | 679 mm |
| Easingwold 7.4 mi | 21.3°C about the same | 1.1°C about the same | 666 mm |
Dalton 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 | 6.8°C 44°F | 0.8°C 33°F | 3.8°C | 49 mm 1.9 in |
| February | 7.7°C 46°F | 0.8°C 33°F | 4.2°C | 44 mm 1.7 in |
| March | 10.2°C 50°F | 1.7°C 35°F | 5.9°C | 38 mm 1.5 in |
| April | 13.0°C 55°F | 3.6°C 39°F | 8.3°C | 46 mm 1.8 in |
| May | 16.0°C 61°F | 6.3°C 43°F | 11.1°C | 43 mm 1.7 in |
| June | 18.6°C 65°F | 9.3°C 49°F | 14.0°C | 59 mm 2.3 in |
| July | 21.1°C 70°F | 11.4°C 53°F | 16.3°C | 54 mm 2.1 in |
| August | 20.6°C 69°F | 11.2°C 52°F | 15.9°C | 68 mm 2.7 in |
| September | 17.8°C 64°F | 8.8°C 48°F | 13.2°C | 53 mm 2.1 in |
| October | 13.8°C 57°F | 6.2°C 43°F | 10.0°C | 60 mm 2.3 in |
| November | 9.5°C 49°F | 2.8°C 37°F | 6.1°C | 59 mm 2.3 in |
| December | 7.0°C 45°F | 0.6°C 33°F | 3.8°C | 53 mm 2.1 in |
| Year | 13.5°C | 5.3°C | 9.4°C | 626 mm |
Where Dalton’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 Dalton’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, 31 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 Dalton’s climate
How warm does Dalton get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 21.1°C (70°F). About 10 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 55% of UK towns.
How cold does Dalton get in winter?
December nights average 0.6°C (33°F). The air drops below freezing on about 64 nights a year, and about 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Dalton get?
About 626 mm (25 in) a year, less than 87% of UK towns. August is the wettest month (68 mm) and March the driest (38 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Bradford (31 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 Dalton. 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 Dalton →
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