Summer arrives in force in Ardingly, hotter than in 75% of UK towns
Winter’s chill peaks in January, at about 1.8°C (35°F) after dark. Its yearly rainfall tops that of 73% of UK towns. A year here swings 21°C from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. For walks and days out, the stretch from June to September brings highs of 20–22°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Ardingly at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Ardingly feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 930 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and April the driest. About 30 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Eastbourne
39 air frosts and 14 days of 25°C a year
On about 39 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 14 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 Eastbourne
Eastbourne is 25 miles south-east of Ardingly, 7 m (23 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 | 8.5°C | 3.9°C | 83 mm | 4.5 | 70 |
| February | 8.6°C | 3.6°C | 58 mm | 3.8 | 90 |
| March | 10.5°C | 4.9°C | 48 mm | 1.1 | 134 |
| April | 13.3°C | 6.7°C | 45 mm | 0.2 | 203 |
| May | 16.3°C | 9.6°C | 46 mm | 0.0 | 236 |
| June | 18.9°C | 12.5°C | 47 mm | 0.0 | 239 |
| July | 21.0°C | 14.7°C | 54 mm | 0.0 | 252 |
| August | 21.3°C | 14.9°C | 60 mm | 0.0 | 233 |
| September | 19.2°C | 12.6°C | 60 mm | 0.0 | 172 |
| October | 15.7°C | 9.9°C | 93 mm | 0.0 | 121 |
| November | 11.9°C | 6.9°C | 98 mm | 0.6 | 78 |
| December | 9.3°C | 4.5°C | 100 mm | 3.8 | 62 |
| Year | 14.5°C | 8.7°C | 792 mm | 14 | 1,889 |
Met Office historic station data, Eastbourne, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Campbell-Stokes recorder.
How Ardingly 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 Sussex 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ardingly | 22.4°C | 1.8°C | 930 mm |
| Balcombe 2.2 mi | 22.1°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 932 mm |
| Horsted Keynes 2.5 mi | 22.2°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 912 mm |
| Haywards Heath 3.5 mi | 22.3°C about the same | 2.0°C about the same | 875 mm |
| Cuckfield 3.6 mi | 22.2°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 861 mm |
| Crawley Down 5.1 mi | 22.3°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 869 mm |
| Handcross 5.3 mi | 22.2°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 877 mm |
Ardingly 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 | 7.9°C 46°F | 1.8°C 35°F | 4.9°C | 106 mm 4.2 in |
| February | 8.7°C 48°F | 2.1°C 36°F | 5.3°C | 73 mm 2.9 in |
| March | 11.1°C 52°F | 3.5°C 38°F | 7.3°C | 58 mm 2.3 in |
| April | 14.2°C 58°F | 5.2°C 41°F | 9.7°C | 55 mm 2.2 in |
| May | 17.2°C 63°F | 7.7°C 46°F | 12.6°C | 59 mm 2.3 in |
| June | 20.0°C 68°F | 10.5°C 51°F | 15.3°C | 56 mm 2.2 in |
| July | 22.4°C 72°F | 12.8°C 55°F | 17.6°C | 61 mm 2.4 in |
| August | 22.2°C 72°F | 12.5°C 55°F | 17.3°C | 69 mm 2.7 in |
| September | 19.6°C 67°F | 10.5°C 51°F | 15.0°C | 67 mm 2.6 in |
| October | 15.5°C 60°F | 8.2°C 47°F | 11.8°C | 109 mm 4.3 in |
| November | 11.2°C 52°F | 4.8°C 41°F | 8.0°C | 108 mm 4.3 in |
| December | 8.4°C 47°F | 2.5°C 36°F | 5.4°C | 109 mm 4.3 in |
| Year | 14.9°C | 6.8°C | 10.8°C | 930 mm |
Where Ardingly’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 Ardingly’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 Eastbourne, 25 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 Ardingly’s climate
How warm does Ardingly get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 22.4°C (72°F). About 14 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), more than 66% of UK towns.
How cold does Ardingly get in winter?
January nights average 1.8°C (35°F). The air drops below freezing on about 39 nights a year, and about 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Ardingly get?
About 930 mm (37 in) a year, more than 73% of UK towns. December is the wettest month (109 mm) and April the driest (55 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Eastbourne (25 miles away), averages 1,889 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 Ardingly. 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 Ardingly →
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.