Few UK towns have colder winter nights than Thornton
A warm July spell here typically peaks at 18.8°C (66°F). Expect the heaviest rain in December and the lightest in May. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 94% of UK towns. Frost greets about 53 mornings a year, so leave time to clear the car.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Thornton at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Thornton feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,241 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and May the driest. About 33 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 8th wettest of 91 West Yorkshire towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Bradford
A frosty town: 53 air frosts and 5 days of 25°C a year
On about 53 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 4 days it stays below freezing all day. About 5 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 3.5 miles north-east of Thornton, 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 Thornton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thornton | 18.8°C | 0.8°C | 1,241 mm |
| Queensbury 1.8 mi | 19.0°C about the same | 0.7°C about the same | 1,242 mm |
| Wilsden 2.1 mi | 19.8°C 1.0°C warmer | 1.1°C about the same | 1,034 mm |
| Denholme 2.1 mi | 18.7°C about the same | 0.7°C about the same | 1,252 mm |
| Cullingworth 3.0 mi | 19.1°C about the same | 1.0°C about the same | 1,187 mm |
| Shelf and Northowram 3.3 mi | 19.9°C 1.1°C warmer | 0.9°C about the same | 1,027 mm |
| Bradford 3.6 mi | 20.2°C 1.4°C warmer | 1.5°C 0.7°C milder | 903 mm |
Thornton 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 | 5.7°C 42°F | 0.8°C 33°F | 3.3°C | 113 mm 4.4 in |
| February | 5.7°C 42°F | 0.2°C 32°F | 3.0°C | 107 mm 4.2 in |
| March | 7.8°C 46°F | 1.2°C 34°F | 4.5°C | 95 mm 3.7 in |
| April | 10.8°C 51°F | 2.8°C 37°F | 6.8°C | 76 mm 3.0 in |
| May | 14.0°C 57°F | 5.5°C 42°F | 9.7°C | 71 mm 2.8 in |
| June | 16.6°C 62°F | 8.4°C 47°F | 12.5°C | 91 mm 3.6 in |
| July | 18.8°C 66°F | 10.5°C 51°F | 14.6°C | 88 mm 3.4 in |
| August | 18.3°C 65°F | 10.4°C 51°F | 14.4°C | 104 mm 4.1 in |
| September | 15.7°C 60°F | 8.4°C 47°F | 12.1°C | 102 mm 4.0 in |
| October | 11.9°C 53°F | 5.7°C 42°F | 8.8°C | 120 mm 4.7 in |
| November | 8.2°C 47°F | 2.9°C 37°F | 5.6°C | 130 mm 5.1 in |
| December | 5.8°C 42°F | 0.7°C 33°F | 3.3°C | 145 mm 5.7 in |
| Year | 11.6°C | 4.8°C | 8.2°C | 1,241 mm |
Where Thornton’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 Thornton’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 Bradford, 3.5 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 Thornton’s climate
How warm does Thornton get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 18.8°C (66°F). About 5 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 76% of UK towns.
How cold does Thornton get in winter?
February nights average 0.2°C (32°F). The air drops below freezing on about 53 nights a year, and about 4 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Thornton get?
About 1,241 mm (49 in) a year, more than 91% of UK towns. December is the wettest month (145 mm) and May the driest (71 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Bradford (3.5 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 Thornton. 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 Thornton →
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.