Rainfall in Wakefield trails that of 75% of UK towns: 668 mm (26 in) a year
In January the night’s low is typically 1.9°C (35°F). Frosty nights are scarcer than in 71% of UK towns. November is the wettest month, April the driest. Gritters and ice scrapers earn their keep on roughly 36 nights a year below 0°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Wakefield at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Wakefield feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 668 mm of rain a year
November is the wettest month and April the driest. About 15 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more. 73rd wettest of 91 West Yorkshire towns of 2,500+.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Bradford
36 air frosts and 13 days of 25°C a year
On about 36 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 13 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 14 miles north-west of Wakefield, 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 Wakefield 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wakefield | 21.6°C | 1.9°C | 668 mm |
| Horbury 2.6 mi | 21.3°C about the same | 1.9°C about the same | 664 mm |
| Crigglestone and Durkar 2.9 mi | 21.3°C about the same | 1.8°C about the same | 666 mm |
| Ossett 2.9 mi | 21.3°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 702 mm |
| Walton 2.9 mi | 21.2°C about the same | 2.0°C about the same | 682 mm |
| Bottom Boat 3.1 mi | 21.5°C about the same | 1.7°C about the same | 694 mm |
| Thorpe on the Hill 3.4 mi | 21.3°C about the same | 1.5°C about the same | 700 mm |
Wakefield 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 | 7.4°C 45°F | 1.9°C 35°F | 4.6°C | 51 mm 2.0 in |
| February | 7.9°C 46°F | 1.8°C 35°F | 4.8°C | 47 mm 1.8 in |
| March | 10.4°C 51°F | 2.9°C 37°F | 6.7°C | 47 mm 1.8 in |
| April | 13.3°C 56°F | 4.8°C 41°F | 9.1°C | 46 mm 1.8 in |
| May | 16.6°C 62°F | 7.4°C 45°F | 12.1°C | 48 mm 1.9 in |
| June | 19.4°C 67°F | 10.4°C 51°F | 14.9°C | 63 mm 2.5 in |
| July | 21.6°C 71°F | 12.3°C 54°F | 16.9°C | 59 mm 2.3 in |
| August | 21.1°C 70°F | 12.1°C 54°F | 16.6°C | 62 mm 2.4 in |
| September | 18.3°C 65°F | 10.1°C 50°F | 14.3°C | 55 mm 2.2 in |
| October | 14.1°C 57°F | 7.3°C 45°F | 10.7°C | 63 mm 2.5 in |
| November | 10.1°C 50°F | 4.3°C 40°F | 7.2°C | 64 mm 2.5 in |
| December | 7.8°C 46°F | 2.4°C 36°F | 5.2°C | 63 mm 2.5 in |
| Year | 14.0°C | 6.5°C | 10.2°C | 668 mm |
Where Wakefield’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 6 Met Office 2 km grid squares whose centre lies inside Wakefield’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, 14 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 Wakefield’s climate
How warm does Wakefield get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 21.6°C (71°F). About 13 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), more than 64% of UK towns.
How cold does Wakefield get in winter?
February nights average 1.8°C (35°F). The air drops below freezing on about 36 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Wakefield get?
About 668 mm (26 in) a year, less than 75% of UK towns. November is the wettest month (64 mm) and April the driest (46 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Bradford (14 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 Wakefield. 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 Wakefield →
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