Photo: Chris Heaton · CC BY-SA 2.0Hardly any UK towns wake to more frost than Thirsk
A warm July spell here typically peaks at 20.9°C (70°F). The rainiest month is August; the driest is March. It is a dry place: less rain falls here than on 63% of UK towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from October to April, which average under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Thirsk at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Thirsk feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 712 mm of rain a year
August is the wettest month and March the driest. About 15 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 20th 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: 67 air frosts and 9 days of 25°C a year
On about 67 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 9 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 34 miles north-east of Thirsk, 60 m (197 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 | 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 Thirsk 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thirsk | 20.9°C | 0.6°C | 712 mm |
| Sowerby 0.7 mi | 20.9°C about the same | 0.6°C about the same | 712 mm |
| Dishforth 6.6 mi | 21.4°C 0.5°C warmer | 1.2°C 0.6°C milder | 653 mm |
| Romanby 7.9 mi | 21.1°C about the same | 1.2°C 0.6°C milder | 669 mm |
| Northallerton 8.1 mi | 21.1°C about the same | 1.2°C 0.6°C milder | 668 mm |
| Leeming 8.4 mi | 21.0°C about the same | 1.2°C 0.6°C milder | 642 mm |
| Brompton 9.3 mi | 20.6°C about the same | 1.3°C 0.7°C milder | 726 mm |
Thirsk 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 | 6.7°C 44°F | 0.6°C 33°F | 3.6°C | 52 mm 2.1 in |
| February | 7.6°C 46°F | 0.6°C 33°F | 4.0°C | 49 mm 1.9 in |
| March | 9.9°C 50°F | 1.6°C 35°F | 5.7°C | 44 mm 1.7 in |
| April | 12.8°C 55°F | 3.4°C 38°F | 8.1°C | 52 mm 2.1 in |
| May | 15.9°C 61°F | 6.2°C 43°F | 11.0°C | 48 mm 1.9 in |
| June | 18.3°C 65°F | 9.2°C 49°F | 13.8°C | 64 mm 2.5 in |
| July | 20.9°C 70°F | 11.3°C 52°F | 16.0°C | 62 mm 2.5 in |
| August | 20.3°C 69°F | 11.1°C 52°F | 15.7°C | 74 mm 2.9 in |
| September | 17.5°C 63°F | 8.6°C 47°F | 13.0°C | 61 mm 2.4 in |
| October | 13.6°C 56°F | 6.1°C 43°F | 9.8°C | 69 mm 2.7 in |
| November | 9.3°C 49°F | 2.6°C 37°F | 5.9°C | 70 mm 2.7 in |
| December | 6.8°C 44°F | 0.5°C 33°F | 3.6°C | 66 mm 2.6 in |
| Year | 13.3°C | 5.1°C | 9.2°C | 712 mm |
Where Thirsk’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 Thirsk’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), 34 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 Thirsk’s climate
How warm does Thirsk get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 20.9°C (70°F). About 9 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 60% of UK towns.
How cold does Thirsk get in winter?
December nights average 0.5°C (33°F). The air drops below freezing on about 67 nights a year, and about 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Thirsk get?
About 712 mm (28 in) a year, less than 63% of UK towns. August is the wettest month (74 mm) and March the driest (44 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Whitby (34 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 Thirsk. 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 Thirsk →
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.