Few UK towns get fewer frosts than Selsey
A warm July spell here typically peaks at 21.6°C (71°F). Wet weather is most frequent in November and least in May. Days of 25°C are scarce: about 4 a year, fewer than in 81% of UK towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to April, which average under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Selsey at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Selsey feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 708 mm of rain a year
November is the wettest month and May the driest. About 20 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 40th wettest of 40 West Sussex towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Hurn (Bournemouth Airport)
15 air frosts and 4 days of 25°C a year
On about 15 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 Hurn (Bournemouth Airport)
Hurn (Bournemouth Airport) is 46 miles west of Selsey, 10 m (33 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 | 8.8°C | 1.8°C | 96 mm | 11.1 | 65 |
| February | 9.1°C | 1.6°C | 67 mm | 10.9 | 80 |
| March | 11.4°C | 2.8°C | 62 mm | 8.3 | 122 |
| April | 14.2°C | 4.3°C | 58 mm | 4.7 | 178 |
| May | 17.4°C | 7.3°C | 49 mm | 0.6 | 211 |
| June | 20.1°C | 10.2°C | 54 mm | 0.0 | 217 |
| July | 22.3°C | 12.2°C | 50 mm | 0.0 | 221 |
| August | 22.0°C | 12.0°C | 60 mm | 0.0 | 198 |
| September | 19.6°C | 9.6°C | 69 mm | 0.0 | 156 |
| October | 15.6°C | 7.4°C | 101 mm | 2.2 | 108 |
| November | 11.8°C | 4.1°C | 108 mm | 6.9 | 76 |
| December | 9.2°C | 2.0°C | 104 mm | 11.6 | 59 |
| Year | 15.1°C | 6.3°C | 877 mm | 56 | 1,690 |
Met Office historic station data, Hurn, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Kipp & Zonen recorder.
How Selsey 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selsey | 21.6°C | 3.5°C | 708 mm |
| Pagham 3.2 mi | 21.9°C about the same | 3.1°C about the same | 745 mm |
| East Wittering 4.1 mi | 21.9°C about the same | 3.4°C about the same | 731 mm |
| Hunston 5.5 mi | 21.9°C about the same | 2.7°C 0.8°C colder | 750 mm |
| Bognor Regis 6.1 mi | 21.8°C about the same | 3.0°C about the same | 765 mm |
| Chichester 7.5 mi | 21.9°C about the same | 2.4°C 1.1°C colder | 846 mm |
| Bosham 7.6 mi | 22.0°C about the same | 2.6°C 0.9°C colder | 826 mm |
Selsey 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 | 9.1°C 48°F | 3.5°C 38°F | 6.3°C | 85 mm 3.3 in |
| February | 9.2°C 49°F | 3.1°C 37°F | 6.1°C | 52 mm 2.0 in |
| March | 11.2°C 52°F | 4.1°C 39°F | 7.6°C | 46 mm 1.8 in |
| April | 13.9°C 57°F | 5.5°C 42°F | 9.7°C | 45 mm 1.8 in |
| May | 17.0°C 63°F | 8.4°C 47°F | 12.7°C | 42 mm 1.6 in |
| June | 19.6°C 67°F | 11.1°C 52°F | 15.3°C | 43 mm 1.7 in |
| July | 21.6°C 71°F | 13.1°C 56°F | 17.4°C | 43 mm 1.7 in |
| August | 21.9°C 71°F | 13.4°C 56°F | 17.6°C | 53 mm 2.1 in |
| September | 19.8°C 68°F | 11.5°C 53°F | 15.7°C | 50 mm 2.0 in |
| October | 16.3°C 61°F | 9.3°C 49°F | 12.8°C | 81 mm 3.2 in |
| November | 12.6°C 55°F | 6.3°C 43°F | 9.5°C | 89 mm 3.5 in |
| December | 9.9°C 50°F | 4.1°C 39°F | 7.0°C | 81 mm 3.2 in |
| Year | 15.2°C | 7.8°C | 11.5°C | 708 mm |
Where Selsey’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 2 Met Office 2 km grid squares whose centre lies inside Selsey’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 Hurn, 46 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 Selsey’s climate
How warm does Selsey get in summer?
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 21.9°C (71°F). About 4 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 81% of UK towns.
How cold does Selsey get in winter?
February nights average 3.1°C (37°F). The air drops below freezing on about 15 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Selsey get?
About 708 mm (28 in) a year, less than 64% of UK towns. November is the wettest month (89 mm) and May the driest (42 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Hurn (Bournemouth Airport) (46 miles away), averages 1,690 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 Selsey. 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 Selsey →
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