Wet weather: 1,183 mm (47 in) a year falls on Cardiff, more than on 88% of UK towns
January mornings start at about 2.6°C (37°F). A year here swings 19°C from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 87% of UK towns. Garden chairs stay out from May to September, the months with highs of 17–21°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Cardiff at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Cardiff feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,183 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and April the driest. About 39 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. The wettest of 9 South Glamorgan towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
36 air frosts and 12 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 12 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 Cardiff Bute Park
Cardiff Bute Park is 0.9 miles south of Cardiff, 9 m (30 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8.6°C | 2.5°C | 127 mm | 8.1 |
| February | 9.1°C | 2.5°C | 93 mm | 7.5 |
| March | 11.3°C | 3.9°C | 85 mm | 3.9 |
| April | 14.4°C | 5.7°C | 72 mm | 1.4 |
| May | 17.4°C | 8.5°C | 78 mm | 0.0 |
| June | 20.1°C | 11.3°C | 73 mm | 0.0 |
| July | 21.8°C | 13.1°C | 84 mm | 0.0 |
| August | 21.4°C | 12.9°C | 105 mm | 0.0 |
| September | 19.1°C | 10.7°C | 87 mm | 0.0 |
| October | 15.2°C | 8.0°C | 128 mm | 1.0 |
| November | 11.6°C | 4.9°C | 131 mm | 3.7 |
| December | 9.1°C | 2.9°C | 140 mm | 8.3 |
| Year | 14.9°C | 7.2°C | 1,201 mm | 34 |
Met Office historic station data, Cardiff Bute Park, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Campbell-Stokes recorder.
How Cardiff 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 Glamorgan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiff | 21.5°C | 2.6°C | 1,183 mm |
| Tongwynlais 3.5 mi | 21.9°C about the same | 2.0°C 0.5°C colder | 1,239 mm |
| Penarth 4.4 mi | 21.2°C about the same | 2.9°C about the same | 1,043 mm |
| Dinas Powis 4.7 mi | 21.0°C 0.5°C cooler | 2.7°C about the same | 1,164 mm |
| Taff's Well 4.8 mi | 21.3°C about the same | 1.8°C 0.8°C colder | 1,462 mm |
| Wenvoe 5.2 mi | 21.0°C 0.5°C cooler | 2.6°C about the same | 1,164 mm |
| Pentyrch 5.2 mi | 21.1°C about the same | 1.7°C 0.9°C colder | 1,454 mm |
Cardiff 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 | 8.2°C 47°F | 2.6°C 37°F | 5.4°C | 127 mm 5.0 in |
| February | 8.7°C 48°F | 2.6°C 37°F | 5.6°C | 93 mm 3.6 in |
| March | 11.0°C 52°F | 3.9°C 39°F | 7.5°C | 83 mm 3.3 in |
| April | 14.0°C 57°F | 5.6°C 42°F | 9.8°C | 70 mm 2.8 in |
| May | 17.1°C 63°F | 8.4°C 47°F | 12.8°C | 75 mm 2.9 in |
| June | 19.7°C 67°F | 11.3°C 52°F | 15.5°C | 74 mm 2.9 in |
| July | 21.5°C 71°F | 13.3°C 56°F | 17.3°C | 85 mm 3.4 in |
| August | 21.1°C 70°F | 13.0°C 55°F | 17.1°C | 99 mm 3.9 in |
| September | 18.7°C 66°F | 10.8°C 51°F | 14.8°C | 84 mm 3.3 in |
| October | 14.8°C 59°F | 8.2°C 47°F | 11.5°C | 126 mm 5.0 in |
| November | 11.3°C 52°F | 5.1°C 41°F | 8.2°C | 129 mm 5.1 in |
| December | 8.7°C 48°F | 3.0°C 37°F | 5.9°C | 137 mm 5.4 in |
| Year | 14.6°C | 7.3°C | 11.0°C | 1,183 mm |
Where Cardiff’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 19 Met Office 2 km grid squares whose centre lies inside Cardiff’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 Cardiff Bute Park, 0.9 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 Cardiff’s climate
How warm does Cardiff get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 21.5°C (71°F). About 12 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), more than 55% of UK towns.
How cold does Cardiff get in winter?
January nights average 2.6°C (37°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 Cardiff get?
About 1,183 mm (47 in) a year, more than 88% of UK towns. December is the wettest month (137 mm) and April the driest (70 mm).
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 Cardiff. 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 Cardiff →
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