Hardly any UK towns see harsher January nights than Pickering
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 21.1°C (70°F). From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 20°C. Rain is light here, less than falls on 60% of UK towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to April, which average under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Pickering at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Pickering feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 721 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. 18th wettest of 56 North Yorkshire towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Whitby
A frosty town: 57 air frosts and 10 days of 25°C a year
On about 57 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 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 Whitby
Whitby is 17 miles north of Pickering, 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 Pickering 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickering | 21.1°C | 0.7°C | 721 mm |
| Thornton-le-Dale 2.4 mi | 20.8°C about the same | 1.3°C 0.5°C milder | 680 mm |
| Kirkbymoorside 6.5 mi | 20.7°C about the same | 0.8°C about the same | 849 mm |
| Rillington 6.9 mi | 20.9°C about the same | 1.2°C about the same | 654 mm |
| Malton 7.4 mi | 21.2°C about the same | 1.0°C about the same | 677 mm |
| Norton-on-Derwent 7.9 mi | 21.2°C about the same | 1.0°C about the same | 677 mm |
| Helmsley 11.2 mi | 20.3°C 0.8°C cooler | 1.4°C 0.6°C milder | 818 mm |
Pickering 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 | 0.7°C 33°F | 3.6°C | 60 mm 2.4 in |
| February | 7.8°C 46°F | 1.1°C 34°F | 4.4°C | 51 mm 2.0 in |
| March | 10.1°C 50°F | 2.2°C 36°F | 6.1°C | 53 mm 2.1 in |
| April | 12.9°C 55°F | 3.8°C 39°F | 8.4°C | 50 mm 2.0 in |
| May | 16.1°C 61°F | 6.3°C 43°F | 11.3°C | 43 mm 1.7 in |
| June | 19.0°C 66°F | 9.0°C 48°F | 14.0°C | 63 mm 2.5 in |
| July | 21.1°C 70°F | 11.0°C 52°F | 16.1°C | 58 mm 2.3 in |
| August | 20.8°C 69°F | 11.0°C 52°F | 15.9°C | 65 mm 2.6 in |
| September | 17.9°C 64°F | 9.0°C 48°F | 13.4°C | 58 mm 2.3 in |
| October | 13.8°C 57°F | 6.4°C 44°F | 10.1°C | 71 mm 2.8 in |
| November | 9.5°C 49°F | 3.1°C 38°F | 6.3°C | 76 mm 3.0 in |
| December | 6.7°C 44°F | 0.8°C 33°F | 3.7°C | 73 mm 2.9 in |
| Year | 13.5°C | 5.4°C | 9.4°C | 721 mm |
Where Pickering’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 Pickering’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), 17 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 Pickering’s climate
How warm does Pickering 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 54% of UK towns.
How cold does Pickering get in winter?
January nights average 0.7°C (33°F). The air drops below freezing on about 57 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Pickering get?
About 721 mm (28 in) a year, less than 60% of UK towns. November is the wettest month (76 mm) and May the driest (43 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Whitby (17 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 Pickering. 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 Pickering →
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.