Frost comes to Southwold less often than to 95% of UK towns
Sunny July days climb to about 22.1°C (72°F). Wet weather is most frequent in October and least in April. By rainfall alone, it ranks drier than 87% of UK towns. From June to September, highs of 20–23°C make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Southwold at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Southwold feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 626 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and April the driest. About 12 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more.
Rain by month
Millimetres
20 air frosts and 7 days of 25°C a year
On about 20 nights a year the air drops below freezing; days that stay below freezing are rare. 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 Cambridge NIAB
Cambridge NIAB is 67 miles west of Southwold, 26 m (85 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7.7°C | 1.9°C | 49 mm | 9.0 |
| February | 8.3°C | 1.8°C | 36 mm | 8.7 |
| March | 11.0°C | 3.1°C | 33 mm | 5.2 |
| April | 14.1°C | 4.7°C | 38 mm | 2.6 |
| May | 17.4°C | 7.4°C | 43 mm | 0.6 |
| June | 20.4°C | 10.5°C | 49 mm | 0.0 |
| July | 23.1°C | 12.6°C | 48 mm | 0.0 |
| August | 22.9°C | 12.6°C | 56 mm | 0.0 |
| September | 19.6°C | 10.5°C | 51 mm | 0.0 |
| October | 15.1°C | 7.9°C | 59 mm | 0.7 |
| November | 10.7°C | 4.5°C | 53 mm | 3.7 |
| December | 8.0°C | 2.2°C | 50 mm | 9.2 |
| Year | 14.9°C | 6.6°C | 563 mm | 40 |
Met Office historic station data, Cambridge NIAB, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Campbell-Stokes recorder.
How Southwold 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 Suffolk 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwold | 22.1°C | 2.5°C | 626 mm |
| Reydon 0.8 mi | 22.2°C about the same | 2.2°C about the same | 615 mm |
| Kessingland 6.4 mi | 21.5°C 0.7°C cooler | 2.3°C about the same | 619 mm |
| Halesworth 7.3 mi | 22.4°C about the same | 1.6°C 0.9°C colder | 628 mm |
| Worlingham 8.9 mi | 22.7°C 0.6°C warmer | 1.5°C 1.0°C colder | 628 mm |
| Beccles 9.5 mi | 22.7°C 0.6°C warmer | 1.5°C 1.0°C colder | 628 mm |
| Leiston 9.6 mi | 21.7°C about the same | 2.3°C about the same | 635 mm |
Southwold 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 | 2.5°C 36°F | 5.3°C | 45 mm 1.8 in |
| February | 8.4°C 47°F | 2.0°C 36°F | 5.2°C | 43 mm 1.7 in |
| March | 10.6°C 51°F | 3.1°C 38°F | 6.9°C | 40 mm 1.6 in |
| April | 13.7°C 57°F | 4.5°C 40°F | 9.1°C | 34 mm 1.3 in |
| May | 16.8°C 62°F | 7.2°C 45°F | 12.0°C | 46 mm 1.8 in |
| June | 19.6°C 67°F | 10.0°C 50°F | 14.8°C | 44 mm 1.7 in |
| July | 22.1°C 72°F | 12.2°C 54°F | 17.2°C | 55 mm 2.2 in |
| August | 22.5°C 73°F | 12.6°C 55°F | 17.5°C | 56 mm 2.2 in |
| September | 19.6°C 67°F | 10.9°C 52°F | 15.2°C | 70 mm 2.7 in |
| October | 15.6°C 60°F | 8.5°C 47°F | 12.0°C | 72 mm 2.8 in |
| November | 11.5°C 53°F | 5.2°C 41°F | 8.3°C | 61 mm 2.4 in |
| December | 8.6°C 48°F | 3.0°C 37°F | 5.7°C | 60 mm 2.4 in |
| Year | 14.8°C | 6.8°C | 10.8°C | 626 mm |
Where Southwold’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the Met Office 2 km grid square nearest Southwold’s centre (the town is smaller than one square).
- 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 Cambridge NIAB, 67 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 Southwold’s climate
How warm does Southwold get in summer?
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 22.5°C (73°F). About 7 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 70% of UK towns.
How cold does Southwold get in winter?
February nights average 2.0°C (36°F). The air drops below freezing on about 20 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Southwold get?
About 626 mm (25 in) a year, less than 87% of UK towns. October is the wettest month (72 mm) and April the driest (34 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 Southwold. 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 Southwold →
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.