Preston climate
Preston (England, United Kingdom) has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). The average temperature over the year is 10 °C49 °F, and about 1,147 mm45 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Preston climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 643 | 236 | 440 | 1074.2 | 10 |
| Feb | 644 | 235 | 440 | 883.4 | 11 |
| Mar | 947 | 337 | 642 | 763.0 | 8 |
| Apr | 1253 | 440 | 847 | 622.4 | 3 |
| May | 1559 | 745 | 1152 | 742.9 | 0 |
| Jun | 1864 | 1051 | 1458 | 933.6 | 0 |
| Jul | 1967 | 1254 | 1660 | 1034.1 | 0 |
| Aug | 1966 | 1254 | 1660 | 1144.5 | 0 |
| Sep | 1762 | 1050 | 1356 | 893.5 | 0 |
| Oct | 1356 | 846 | 1051 | 1124.4 | 0 |
| Nov | 949 | 541 | 745 | 1134.5 | 4 |
| Dec | 744 | 337 | 541 | 1164.6 | 8 |
| Year | 1967 | 235 | 1049 | 1,14745 | 44 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 95% | 82% | 0.6 | 7:58 |
| Feb | 94% | 79% | 1.3 | 9:42 |
| Mar | 90% | 76% | 2.5 | 11:40 |
| Apr | 86% | 73% | 3.9 | 13:56 |
| May | 84% | 72% | 4.9 | 15:55 |
| Jun | 84% | 75% | 5.0 | 17:03 |
| Jul | 85% | 75% | 4.8 | 16:35 |
| Aug | 86% | 77% | 4.0 | 14:49 |
| Sep | 88% | 75% | 2.9 | 12:36 |
| Oct | 91% | 78% | 1.6 | 10:25 |
| Nov | 94% | 81% | 0.8 | 8:27 |
| Dec | 95% | 82% | 0.5 | 7:27 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Preston is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 19 °C67 °F and a low of 12 °C54 °F. The coldest is February, when highs average 6 °C44 °F and lows 2 °C35 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 11.6 °C20.9 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,147 mm45 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is December (116 mm4.6 in), the driest is April (62 mm2.4 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 84% in May to 95% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 72%) are typical of May. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 11 km/h (7 mph) in July to 15 km/h (10 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 7.4 hours in December to 17.1 hours in June.
Best time to visit Preston
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June–September: average highs of 17 °C62 °F to 19 °C67 °F with 89 mm3.5 in to 114 mm4.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 6 °C43 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Preston
- Winter (December–February) — highs 643 to 7 °C44 °F, lows 235 to 3 °C37 °F, about 104 mm4.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 947 to 15 °C59 °F, lows 337 to 7 °C45 °F, about 71 mm2.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 1864 to 19 °C67 °F, lows 1051 to 12 °C54 °F, about 103 mm4.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 949 to 17 °C62 °F, lows 541 to 10 °C50 °F, about 105 mm4.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Preston compares
Compared with Liverpool, about 43 km to the southwest, Preston is on average 0.5 °C1 °F cooler and receives 17% more precipitation (1,147 mm45 in vs 980 mm39 in). The difference is largest in December (1 °C1.7 °F cooler).
Of the 66 places in the United Kingdom covered by World Climates, Preston is the 50th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 5th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United Kingdom climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Limerick (Ireland, Cfb), Dublin (Ireland, Cfb) and Kristiansand (Norway, Cfb).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Burnley (pop. 149,422) and Blackburn (pop. 146,521). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Preston, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Blackpool 23 km · 10 °C50 °F · 1,164 mm46 in
- Liverpool 43 km · 10 °C50 °F · 980 mm39 in
- Manchester 44 km · 10 °C49 °F · 1,002 mm39 in
- Oldham 46 km · 9 °C47 °F · 960 mm38 in
- Birkenhead 46 km · 10 °C50 °F · 980 mm39 in
- Huddersfield 62 km · 9 °C49 °F · 960 mm38 in
- Bradford 63 km · 9 °C48 °F · 1,008 mm40 in
- Leeds 76 km · 9 °C49 °F · 763 mm30 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Preston?
July is the warmest month in Preston, with an average high of 19 °C (67 °F) and an average low of 12 °C (54 °F).
What is the coldest month in Preston?
February is the coldest month, with an average high of 6 °C (44 °F) and an average low of 2 °C (35 °F).
When does it rain the most in Preston?
December is the wettest month with about 116 mm (4.6 in) of precipitation; April is the driest with about 62 mm (2.4 in).
What is the best time to visit Preston?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are June–September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 169 m, while Preston lies at about 34 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.9 °C1.6 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.