Frosty mornings in Kelso outnumber those of 95% of UK towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 20.1°C (68°F). Winter and summer sit 19°C apart. None of the 11 Scottish Borders towns has warmer July afternoons. Garden chairs stay out from June to August, the months with highs of 18–20°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Kelso at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Kelso feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 695 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and April the driest. About 15 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 11th 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: 56 air frosts and 7 days of 25°C a year
On about 56 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 7 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 36 miles south-west of Kelso, 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 Kelso 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelso | 20.1°C | 1.0°C | 695 mm |
| Jedburgh 9.7 mi | 19.6°C 0.5°C cooler | 0.5°C 0.5°C colder | 795 mm |
Kelso 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 | 6.5°C 44°F | 1.0°C 34°F | 3.8°C | 56 mm 2.2 in |
| February | 7.2°C 45°F | 1.1°C 34°F | 4.2°C | 50 mm 2.0 in |
| March | 9.5°C 49°F | 2.4°C 36°F | 6.0°C | 46 mm 1.8 in |
| April | 12.2°C 54°F | 3.8°C 39°F | 8.0°C | 44 mm 1.7 in |
| May | 15.3°C 60°F | 6.3°C 43°F | 10.8°C | 47 mm 1.9 in |
| June | 17.9°C 64°F | 9.0°C 48°F | 13.4°C | 60 mm 2.4 in |
| July | 20.1°C 68°F | 10.9°C 52°F | 15.5°C | 63 mm 2.5 in |
| August | 19.7°C 67°F | 10.7°C 51°F | 15.1°C | 67 mm 2.6 in |
| September | 16.9°C 62°F | 8.7°C 48°F | 12.9°C | 54 mm 2.1 in |
| October | 12.9°C 55°F | 5.8°C 42°F | 9.4°C | 74 mm 2.9 in |
| November | 9.2°C 48°F | 3.0°C 37°F | 6.1°C | 67 mm 2.6 in |
| December | 6.6°C 44°F | 0.7°C 33°F | 3.7°C | 68 mm 2.7 in |
| Year | 12.8°C | 5.3°C | 9.1°C | 695 mm |
Where Kelso’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 Kelso’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, 36 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 Kelso’s climate
How warm does Kelso get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 20.1°C (68°F). About 7 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 66% of UK towns.
How cold does Kelso get in winter?
December nights average 0.7°C (33°F). The air drops below freezing on about 56 nights a year, and about 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Kelso get?
About 695 mm (27 in) a year, less than 67% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (74 mm) and April the driest (44 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Eskdalemuir (36 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 Kelso. 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 Kelso →
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.