Nights turn raw in Halifax each January, colder than in 81% of UK towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 19.9°C (68°F). Its yearly rainfall tops that of 80% of UK towns. The rainiest month is December; the driest is May. Homes need heating from October to April, the months averaging under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Halifax at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Halifax feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,035 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and May the driest. About 26 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 20th wettest of 91 West Yorkshire towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Bradford
44 air frosts and 7 days of 25°C a year
On about 44 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 2 days it stays below freezing all day. About 7 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 Bradford
Bradford is 7.6 miles north-east of Halifax, 134 m (440 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 | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.8°C | 1.8°C | 88 mm | 8.8 | 43 |
| February | 7.4°C | 1.8°C | 74 mm | 8.2 | 68 |
| March | 9.5°C | 2.9°C | 64 mm | 4.8 | 105 |
| April | 12.5°C | 4.7°C | 58 mm | 2.1 | 142 |
| May | 15.7°C | 7.2°C | 52 mm | 0.4 | 173 |
| June | 18.2°C | 10.1°C | 73 mm | 0.0 | 159 |
| July | 20.4°C | 12.2°C | 64 mm | 0.0 | 167 |
| August | 19.8°C | 12.0°C | 74 mm | 0.0 | 156 |
| September | 17.2°C | 9.9°C | 70 mm | 0.0 | 123 |
| October | 13.4°C | 7.1°C | 84 mm | 0.9 | 90 |
| November | 9.6°C | 4.1°C | 90 mm | 4.1 | 55 |
| December | 7.2°C | 2.0°C | 99 mm | 8.8 | 38 |
| Year | 13.1°C | 6.3°C | 890 mm | 38 | 1,320 |
Met Office historic station data, Bradford, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Campbell-Stokes recorder.
How Halifax 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 Yorkshire 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax | 19.9°C | 1.3°C | 1,035 mm |
| Sowerby Bridge 2.2 mi | 20.0°C about the same | 1.4°C about the same | 1,080 mm |
| Luddenden Foot 2.3 mi | 19.5°C about the same | 1.0°C about the same | 1,091 mm |
| Shelf and Northowram 3.0 mi | 19.9°C about the same | 0.9°C about the same | 1,027 mm |
| Queensbury 3.1 mi | 19.0°C 0.9°C cooler | 0.7°C 0.7°C colder | 1,242 mm |
| Elland 3.2 mi | 20.1°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 1,129 mm |
| Holywell Green and Stainland 3.6 mi | 20.0°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 1,132 mm |
Halifax 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 | 6.3°C 43°F | 1.3°C 34°F | 3.8°C | 96 mm 3.8 in |
| February | 6.7°C 44°F | 1.2°C 34°F | 3.9°C | 89 mm 3.5 in |
| March | 8.9°C 48°F | 2.3°C 36°F | 5.6°C | 77 mm 3.0 in |
| April | 11.9°C 53°F | 4.0°C 39°F | 7.9°C | 65 mm 2.6 in |
| May | 15.2°C 59°F | 6.6°C 44°F | 10.9°C | 62 mm 2.4 in |
| June | 17.9°C 64°F | 9.4°C 49°F | 13.7°C | 75 mm 2.9 in |
| July | 19.9°C 68°F | 11.5°C 53°F | 15.8°C | 79 mm 3.1 in |
| August | 19.2°C 67°F | 11.4°C 52°F | 15.3°C | 84 mm 3.3 in |
| September | 16.6°C 62°F | 9.4°C 49°F | 13.1°C | 84 mm 3.3 in |
| October | 12.8°C 55°F | 6.7°C 44°F | 9.8°C | 100 mm 3.9 in |
| November | 9.0°C 48°F | 3.7°C 39°F | 6.4°C | 106 mm 4.2 in |
| December | 6.6°C 44°F | 1.5°C 35°F | 4.1°C | 119 mm 4.7 in |
| Year | 12.6°C | 5.8°C | 9.2°C | 1,035 mm |
Where Halifax’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 5 Met Office 2 km grid squares whose centre lies inside Halifax’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 Bradford, 7.6 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 Halifax’s climate
How warm does Halifax get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.9°C (68°F). About 7 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 68% of UK towns.
How cold does Halifax get in winter?
February nights average 1.2°C (34°F). The air drops below freezing on about 44 nights a year, and about 2 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Halifax get?
About 1,035 mm (41 in) a year, more than 80% of UK towns. December is the wettest month (119 mm) and May the driest (62 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Bradford (7.6 miles away), averages 1,320 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 Halifax. 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 Halifax →
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.