Upper Layham is among the driest of UK towns: 555 mm (22 in) of rain a year
About 555 mm (22 in) of rain falls in a typical year; July afternoons reach 22.6°C (73°F) and January nights drop to 1.6°C (35°F). Warm days come often: about 20 a year reach 25°C, more than in 87% of UK towns. Frost is common: about 47 nights a year drop below freezing, more than in 82% of UK towns.
A year in Upper Layham at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Upper Layham feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 555 mm of rain a year
November is the wettest month and July the driest. About 12 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more.
Rain by month
Millimetres
47 air frosts and 20 days of 25°C a year
On about 47 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 20 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 40 miles west of Upper Layham, 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 Upper Layham compares
Against the 2,178 towns and cities of 2,500 or more in England and Wales, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Layham | 22.6°C | 1.6°C | 555 mm |
| Hadleigh 1.4 mi | 22.7°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 591 mm |
| Elmsett 3.9 mi | 22.7°C about the same | 1.4°C about the same | 588 mm |
| Capel St Mary 4.0 mi | 23.0°C about the same | 1.4°C about the same | 621 mm |
| East Bergholt 4.2 mi | 23.0°C about the same | 1.4°C about the same | 622 mm |
| Bildeston 6.1 mi | 22.7°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 628 mm |
| Brantham 6.2 mi | 23.2°C 0.6°C warmer | 1.5°C about the same | 564 mm |
Upper Layham 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 | 7.3°C 45°F | 1.6°C 35°F | 4.5°C | 48 mm 1.9 in |
| February | 7.9°C 46°F | 1.5°C 35°F | 4.7°C | 38 mm 1.5 in |
| March | 10.5°C 51°F | 2.8°C 37°F | 6.7°C | 38 mm 1.5 in |
| April | 13.7°C 57°F | 4.4°C 40°F | 9.0°C | 37 mm 1.5 in |
| May | 17.0°C 63°F | 7.3°C 45°F | 12.1°C | 54 mm 2.1 in |
| June | 20.0°C 68°F | 10.1°C 50°F | 15.1°C | 38 mm 1.5 in |
| July | 22.6°C 73°F | 12.4°C 54°F | 17.5°C | 36 mm 1.4 in |
| August | 22.4°C 72°F | 12.4°C 54°F | 17.4°C | 55 mm 2.2 in |
| September | 19.2°C 67°F | 10.2°C 50°F | 14.7°C | 45 mm 1.8 in |
| October | 14.7°C 59°F | 7.5°C 45°F | 11.1°C | 52 mm 2.0 in |
| November | 10.5°C 51°F | 4.1°C 39°F | 7.3°C | 63 mm 2.5 in |
| December | 7.7°C 46°F | 2.0°C 36°F | 4.8°C | 52 mm 2.0 in |
| Year | 14.4°C | 6.3°C | 10.4°C | 555 mm |
Where Upper Layham’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 Upper Layham’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, 40 miles away, months of 1991–2020 averaged.
- Comparisons: every town and city of 2,500 or more in England and Wales, read the same way.
Met Office HadUK-Grid · Met Office Climate Data Portal · Historic station data. Open Government Licence v3.0.
Questions about Upper Layham’s climate
How warm does Upper Layham get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 22.6°C (73°F). About 20 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), more than 87% of UK towns.
How cold does Upper Layham get in winter?
February nights average 1.5°C (35°F). The air drops below freezing on about 47 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Upper Layham get?
About 555 mm (22 in) a year, less than almost every UK town. November is the wettest month (63 mm) and July the driest (36 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 Upper Layham. 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 Upper Layham →
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