Photo: T Eyre · CC BY-SA 2.0Midwinter lows in Helmsley sink below those of 80% of UK towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 20.3°C (69°F). Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 69% of UK towns. The rainiest month is November; the driest is May. Frost greets about 46 mornings a year, so leave time to clear the car.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Helmsley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Helmsley feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 818 mm of rain a year
November is the wettest month and May the driest. About 17 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Whitby
46 air frosts and 8 days of 25°C a year
On about 46 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 8 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 Whitby
Whitby is 24 miles north-east of Helmsley, 60 m (197 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 | 7.3°C | 2.2°C | 58 mm | 6.8 | 61 |
| February | 7.9°C | 2.3°C | 47 mm | 6.4 | 88 |
| March | 9.8°C | 3.2°C | 39 mm | 3.9 | 130 |
| April | 12.0°C | 4.8°C | 44 mm | 1.4 | 168 |
| May | 14.7°C | 7.3°C | 39 mm | 0.3 | 212 |
| June | 17.6°C | 10.1°C | 58 mm | 0.0 | 194 |
| July | 19.9°C | 12.2°C | 49 mm | 0.0 | 203 |
| August | 19.8°C | 12.2°C | 61 mm | 0.0 | 189 |
| September | 17.3°C | 10.2°C | 54 mm | 0.0 | 146 |
| October | 13.8°C | 7.7°C | 59 mm | 0.4 | 108 |
| November | 10.1°C | 4.7°C | 71 mm | 2.1 | 70 |
| December | 7.7°C | 2.4°C | 67 mm | 6.7 | 56 |
| Year | 13.2°C | 6.6°C | 645 mm | 28 | 1,625 |
Met Office historic station data, Whitby Coastguard / Whitby(from 2000 and $sunshine), 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Campbell-Stokes recorder.
How Helmsley 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helmsley | 20.3°C | 1.4°C | 818 mm |
| Ampleforth 3.7 mi | 20.6°C about the same | 1.4°C about the same | 777 mm |
| Kirkbymoorside 5.2 mi | 20.7°C about the same | 0.8°C 0.5°C colder | 849 mm |
| Easingwold 10.2 mi | 21.3°C 0.9°C warmer | 1.1°C about the same | 666 mm |
| Pickering 11.2 mi | 21.1°C 0.8°C warmer | 0.7°C 0.6°C colder | 721 mm |
| Thirsk 11.5 mi | 20.9°C 0.5°C warmer | 0.6°C 0.8°C colder | 712 mm |
| Huby (Hambleton) 11.7 mi | 21.3°C 1.0°C warmer | 1.3°C about the same | 669 mm |
Helmsley 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 | 1.4°C 34°F | 4.1°C | 69 mm 2.7 in |
| February | 7.4°C 45°F | 1.2°C 34°F | 4.2°C | 64 mm 2.5 in |
| March | 9.6°C 49°F | 2.2°C 36°F | 5.9°C | 55 mm 2.2 in |
| April | 12.4°C 54°F | 3.9°C 39°F | 8.2°C | 58 mm 2.3 in |
| May | 15.6°C 60°F | 6.5°C 44°F | 11.1°C | 53 mm 2.1 in |
| June | 18.2°C 65°F | 9.2°C 49°F | 13.8°C | 72 mm 2.9 in |
| July | 20.3°C 69°F | 11.1°C 52°F | 15.8°C | 64 mm 2.5 in |
| August | 20.1°C 68°F | 11.4°C 52°F | 15.8°C | 74 mm 2.9 in |
| September | 17.4°C 63°F | 9.5°C 49°F | 13.5°C | 67 mm 2.7 in |
| October | 13.4°C 56°F | 6.7°C 44°F | 10.1°C | 80 mm 3.2 in |
| November | 9.5°C 49°F | 3.5°C 38°F | 6.5°C | 84 mm 3.3 in |
| December | 6.8°C 44°F | 1.1°C 34°F | 3.9°C | 78 mm 3.1 in |
| Year | 13.1°C | 5.6°C | 9.4°C | 818 mm |
Where Helmsley’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 1 Met Office 2 km grid square whose centre lies inside Helmsley’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 Whitby Coastguard / Whitby(from 2000 and $sunshine), 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 Helmsley’s climate
How warm does Helmsley get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 20.3°C (69°F). About 8 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 62% of UK towns.
How cold does Helmsley get in winter?
December nights average 1.1°C (34°F). The air drops below freezing on about 46 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Helmsley get?
About 818 mm (32 in) a year, more than 57% of UK towns. November is the wettest month (84 mm) and May the driest (53 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Whitby (24 miles away), averages 1,625 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 Helmsley. 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 Helmsley →
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