West Calder is among the frostiest of UK towns
July afternoons average 18.9°C (66°F). Temperatures cover 19°C across the year, low to high. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 93% of UK towns. The outdoor season runs from June to August, with highs of 17–19°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in West Calder at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in West Calder feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,002 mm of rain a year
January is the wettest month and April the driest. About 29 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 7th wettest of 13 West Lothian towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Paisley
A frosty town: 68 air frosts and 2 days of 25°C a year
On about 68 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 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 33 miles west of West Calder, 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 West Calder 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 West Lothian 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Calder | 18.9°C | 1.0°C | 1,002 mm |
| Polbeth 1.0 mi | 18.9°C about the same | 0.5°C about the same | 1,003 mm |
| Blackburn 2.6 mi | 18.5°C about the same | 1.1°C about the same | 1,055 mm |
| Livingston 3.5 mi | 18.9°C about the same | 0.6°C about the same | 954 mm |
| Mid Calder 4.1 mi | 19.4°C 0.5°C warmer | 0.8°C about the same | 839 mm |
| Bathgate 4.1 mi | 18.4°C about the same | 0.9°C about the same | 1,065 mm |
| Whitburn 4.7 mi | 18.6°C about the same | 0.4°C 0.6°C colder | 1,119 mm |
West Calder 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 | 6.5°C 44°F | 1.0°C 34°F | 3.7°C | 112 mm 4.4 in |
| February | 6.8°C 44°F | 0.5°C 33°F | 3.6°C | 84 mm 3.3 in |
| March | 8.6°C 47°F | 1.4°C 35°F | 5.0°C | 77 mm 3.0 in |
| April | 11.3°C 52°F | 3.2°C 38°F | 7.2°C | 59 mm 2.3 in |
| May | 14.3°C 58°F | 5.5°C 42°F | 9.9°C | 60 mm 2.4 in |
| June | 17.1°C 63°F | 8.5°C 47°F | 12.7°C | 71 mm 2.8 in |
| July | 18.9°C 66°F | 10.2°C 50°F | 14.6°C | 80 mm 3.2 in |
| August | 18.3°C 65°F | 9.8°C 50°F | 14.0°C | 81 mm 3.2 in |
| September | 16.2°C 61°F | 8.2°C 47°F | 12.2°C | 71 mm 2.8 in |
| October | 12.4°C 54°F | 5.5°C 42°F | 9.0°C | 107 mm 4.2 in |
| November | 9.0°C 48°F | 2.8°C 37°F | 6.0°C | 96 mm 3.8 in |
| December | 6.0°C 43°F | 0.1°C 32°F | 3.0°C | 103 mm 4.1 in |
| Year | 12.1°C | 4.7°C | 8.4°C | 1,002 mm |
Where West Calder’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 West Calder’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 Paisley, 33 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 West Calder’s climate
How warm does West Calder get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 18.9°C (66°F). About 2 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 92% of UK towns.
How cold does West Calder get in winter?
December nights average 0.1°C (32°F). The air drops below freezing on about 68 nights a year, and about 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does West Calder get?
About 1,002 mm (39 in) a year, more than 78% of UK towns. January is the wettest month (112 mm) and April the driest (59 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Paisley (33 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 West Calder. 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 West Calder →
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.