Galashiels has some of the coolest summers among UK towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 0.8°C (33°F). By January nights alone, it runs colder than 96% of UK towns. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 18°C. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from October to May, which average under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Galashiels at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Galashiels feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,057 mm of rain a year
November is the wettest month and May the driest. About 18 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 2nd wettest of 11 Scottish Borders towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Eskdalemuir
A frosty town: 53 air frosts and 3 days of 25°C a year
On about 53 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 2 days it stays below freezing all day. About 3 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 Eskdalemuir
Eskdalemuir is 26 miles south-west of Galashiels, 242 m (794 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 | 5.2°C | −0.1°C | 208 mm | 14.4 | 37 |
| February | 5.9°C | −0.2°C | 170 mm | 13.7 | 59 |
| March | 7.8°C | 0.8°C | 147 mm | 11.9 | 84 |
| April | 10.8°C | 2.4°C | 102 mm | 7.5 | 129 |
| May | 14.1°C | 4.8°C | 103 mm | 3.8 | 162 |
| June | 16.4°C | 7.9°C | 111 mm | 0.2 | 132 |
| July | 18.2°C | 9.6°C | 130 mm | 0.0 | 131 |
| August | 17.7°C | 9.5°C | 145 mm | 0.1 | 123 |
| September | 15.3°C | 7.4°C | 132 mm | 0.7 | 97 |
| October | 11.7°C | 4.8°C | 185 mm | 4.3 | 69 |
| November | 8.0°C | 2.0°C | 190 mm | 9.3 | 48 |
| December | 5.5°C | −0.2°C | 206 mm | 13.8 | 37 |
| Year | 11.4°C | 4.1°C | 1,829 mm | 80 | 1,107 |
Met Office historic station data, Eskdalemuir, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Kipp & Zonen recorder.
How Galashiels 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 Scottish Borders 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galashiels | 18.6°C | 0.8°C | 1,057 mm |
| Langlee 1.4 mi | 19.6°C 1.0°C warmer | 0.6°C about the same | 866 mm |
| Selkirk 4.8 mi | 19.4°C 0.8°C warmer | 0.5°C about the same | 906 mm |
| Innerleithen 9.7 mi | 18.6°C about the same | 0.6°C about the same | 1,089 mm |
Galashiels 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 | 6.2°C 43°F | 0.8°C 33°F | 3.5°C | 74 mm 2.9 in |
| February | 6.1°C 43°F | 0.2°C 32°F | 3.1°C | 94 mm 3.7 in |
| March | 8.1°C 47°F | 1.1°C 34°F | 4.6°C | 74 mm 2.9 in |
| April | 10.9°C 52°F | 2.7°C 37°F | 6.8°C | 69 mm 2.7 in |
| May | 14.1°C 57°F | 5.1°C 41°F | 9.6°C | 61 mm 2.4 in |
| June | 16.7°C 62°F | 8.0°C 46°F | 12.3°C | 70 mm 2.7 in |
| July | 18.6°C 66°F | 9.8°C 50°F | 14.2°C | 82 mm 3.2 in |
| August | 18.4°C 65°F | 9.6°C 49°F | 14.0°C | 109 mm 4.3 in |
| September | 15.8°C 61°F | 7.8°C 46°F | 11.8°C | 87 mm 3.4 in |
| October | 11.9°C 53°F | 5.0°C 41°F | 8.4°C | 112 mm 4.4 in |
| November | 8.3°C 47°F | 2.3°C 36°F | 5.3°C | 120 mm 4.7 in |
| December | 6.0°C 43°F | 0.2°C 32°F | 3.0°C | 105 mm 4.1 in |
| Year | 11.8°C | 4.4°C | 8.1°C | 1,057 mm |
Where Galashiels’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 Galashiels’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 Eskdalemuir, 26 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 Galashiels’s climate
How warm does Galashiels get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 18.6°C (66°F). About 3 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 85% of UK towns.
How cold does Galashiels get in winter?
February nights average 0.2°C (32°F). The air drops below freezing on about 53 nights a year, and about 2 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Galashiels get?
About 1,057 mm (42 in) a year, more than 81% of UK towns. November is the wettest month (120 mm) and May the driest (61 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Eskdalemuir (26 miles away), averages 1,107 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 Galashiels. 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 Galashiels →
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.