Afternoon heat in Prestwick trails that of 95% of UK towns
In January the night’s low is typically 2.3°C (36°F). Of all months, October brings the most rain and May the least. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 80% of UK towns. Central heating does most of its work from November to April, in months below 10°C on average.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Prestwick at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Prestwick feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,004 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and May the driest. About 26 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 4th wettest of 6 South Ayrshire towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Paisley
36 air frosts and 2 days of 25°C a year
On about 36 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 2 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 Paisley
Paisley is 25 miles north of Prestwick, 32 m (105 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 | 7.1°C | 1.9°C | 147 mm | 8.5 | 39 |
| February | 7.8°C | 2.1°C | 111 mm | 7.3 | 69 |
| March | 9.9°C | 3.2°C | 100 mm | 4.3 | 103 |
| April | 12.9°C | 5.1°C | 72 mm | 0.9 | 133 |
| May | 16.1°C | 7.4°C | 63 mm | 0.1 | 184 |
| June | 18.3°C | 10.2°C | 67 mm | 0.0 | 161 |
| July | 19.7°C | 12.1°C | 76 mm | 0.0 | 149 |
| August | 19.5°C | 11.9°C | 90 mm | 0.0 | 151 |
| September | 16.7°C | 9.9°C | 99 mm | 0.0 | 116 |
| October | 12.9°C | 6.8°C | 134 mm | 0.9 | 89 |
| November | 9.6°C | 4.3°C | 133 mm | 3.6 | 54 |
| December | 6.8°C | 1.5°C | 136 mm | 9.7 | 36 |
| Year | 13.1°C | 6.4°C | 1,229 mm | 35 | 1,282 |
Met Office historic station data, Paisley, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Campbell-Stokes recorder.
How Prestwick 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 South Ayrshire 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prestwick | 18.8°C | 2.3°C | 1,004 mm |
| Ayr 2.6 mi | 19.0°C about the same | 2.3°C about the same | 998 mm |
| Troon 4.4 mi | 18.6°C about the same | 2.5°C about the same | 1,004 mm |
| Dundonald 5.9 mi | 18.5°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 1,109 mm |
| Drongan 6.9 mi | 18.7°C about the same | 1.1°C 1.2°C colder | 1,176 mm |
| Dreghorn 8.0 mi | 19.2°C about the same | 2.1°C about the same | 1,121 mm |
| Crosshouse 8.7 mi | 19.1°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 1,181 mm |
Prestwick 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 | 7.7°C 46°F | 2.3°C 36°F | 5.0°C | 99 mm 3.9 in |
| February | 8.0°C 46°F | 2.2°C 36°F | 5.1°C | 79 mm 3.1 in |
| March | 9.7°C 49°F | 3.2°C 38°F | 6.4°C | 71 mm 2.8 in |
| April | 12.1°C 54°F | 4.6°C 40°F | 8.4°C | 55 mm 2.2 in |
| May | 15.3°C 59°F | 6.9°C 44°F | 11.0°C | 54 mm 2.1 in |
| June | 17.4°C 63°F | 9.8°C 50°F | 13.6°C | 66 mm 2.6 in |
| July | 18.8°C 66°F | 11.7°C 53°F | 15.2°C | 80 mm 3.2 in |
| August | 18.6°C 66°F | 11.5°C 53°F | 15.1°C | 88 mm 3.5 in |
| September | 16.6°C 62°F | 9.9°C 50°F | 13.3°C | 85 mm 3.3 in |
| October | 13.4°C 56°F | 7.2°C 45°F | 10.3°C | 110 mm 4.3 in |
| November | 10.1°C 50°F | 4.3°C 40°F | 7.3°C | 109 mm 4.3 in |
| December | 7.9°C 46°F | 2.3°C 36°F | 5.1°C | 108 mm 4.2 in |
| Year | 13.0°C | 6.3°C | 9.6°C | 1,004 mm |
Where Prestwick’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 2 Met Office 2 km grid squares whose centre lies inside Prestwick’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 Paisley, 25 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 Prestwick’s climate
How warm does Prestwick get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 18.8°C (66°F). About 2 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 90% of UK towns.
How cold does Prestwick get in winter?
February nights average 2.2°C (36°F). The air drops below freezing on about 36 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Prestwick get?
About 1,004 mm (40 in) a year, more than 78% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (110 mm) and May the driest (54 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Paisley (25 miles away), averages 1,282 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 Prestwick. 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 Prestwick →
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.