Summer warmth: Washington logs fewer 25-degree days than 81% of UK towns
Nights in January average 1.8°C (35°F). From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 18°C. Only about 37 nights a year bring a frost, fewer than in 68% of UK towns. Long walks are most pleasant from June to September, when afternoons reach 17–20°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Washington at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Washington feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 707 mm of rain a year
November is the wettest month and March the driest. About 16 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 10th wettest of 34 Tyne and Wear towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
37 air frosts and 4 days of 25°C a year
On about 37 nights a year the air drops below freezing; days that stay below freezing are rare. About 4 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 Durham
Durham is 9.4 miles south of Washington, 102 m (335 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 | 6.9°C | 1.3°C | 53 mm | 10.3 |
| February | 7.8°C | 1.4°C | 46 mm | 9.8 |
| March | 9.9°C | 2.5°C | 41 mm | 6.5 |
| April | 12.5°C | 4.1°C | 51 mm | 3.2 |
| May | 15.4°C | 6.5°C | 45 mm | 0.8 |
| June | 18.0°C | 9.3°C | 61 mm | 0.0 |
| July | 20.2°C | 11.3°C | 61 mm | 0.0 |
| August | 19.9°C | 11.3°C | 67 mm | 0.0 |
| September | 17.4°C | 9.2°C | 57 mm | 0.0 |
| October | 13.5°C | 6.5°C | 63 mm | 1.2 |
| November | 9.7°C | 3.6°C | 76 mm | 4.6 |
| December | 7.1°C | 1.4°C | 61 mm | 10.4 |
| Year | 13.2°C | 5.7°C | 681 mm | 47 |
Met Office historic station data, Durham, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Campbell-Stokes recorder.
How Washington 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 Tyne and Wear 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 19.9°C | 1.8°C | 707 mm |
| Springwell 1.7 mi | 20.0°C about the same | 1.7°C about the same | 757 mm |
| Birtley 1.8 mi | 20.0°C about the same | 2.0°C about the same | 756 mm |
| Shiney Row and Penshaw 2.7 mi | 19.0°C 0.9°C cooler | 1.8°C about the same | 698 mm |
| Bournmoor 3.2 mi | 20.1°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 705 mm |
| Pelton and Ouston 3.4 mi | 19.6°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 762 mm |
| Urpeth 3.5 mi | 19.6°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 762 mm |
Washington 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 | 6.8°C 44°F | 1.8°C 35°F | 4.4°C | 54 mm 2.1 in |
| February | 7.7°C 46°F | 2.0°C 36°F | 4.9°C | 46 mm 1.8 in |
| March | 9.7°C 50°F | 3.0°C 37°F | 6.5°C | 45 mm 1.8 in |
| April | 12.1°C 54°F | 4.4°C 40°F | 8.3°C | 56 mm 2.2 in |
| May | 14.9°C 59°F | 6.9°C 44°F | 11.1°C | 49 mm 1.9 in |
| June | 17.6°C 64°F | 9.9°C 50°F | 13.7°C | 65 mm 2.6 in |
| July | 19.9°C 68°F | 11.7°C 53°F | 16.0°C | 61 mm 2.4 in |
| August | 19.9°C 68°F | 12.0°C 54°F | 15.6°C | 71 mm 2.8 in |
| September | 17.3°C 63°F | 10.0°C 50°F | 13.6°C | 60 mm 2.4 in |
| October | 13.5°C 56°F | 7.0°C 45°F | 10.4°C | 66 mm 2.6 in |
| November | 9.8°C 50°F | 4.3°C 40°F | 7.2°C | 76 mm 3.0 in |
| December | 7.1°C 45°F | 2.1°C 36°F | 4.6°C | 59 mm 2.3 in |
| Year | 13.0°C | 6.3°C | 9.7°C | 707 mm |
Where Washington’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 4 Met Office 2 km grid squares whose centre lies inside Washington’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 Durham, 9.4 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 Washington’s climate
How warm does Washington get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.9°C (68°F). About 4 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 81% of UK towns.
How cold does Washington get in winter?
January nights average 1.8°C (35°F). The air drops below freezing on about 37 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Washington get?
About 707 mm (28 in) a year, less than 64% of UK towns. November is the wettest month (76 mm) and March the driest (45 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 Washington. 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 Washington →
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.