Belfast climate — normals and trends
Belfast (United Kingdom) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 9.6 °C and it receives 875 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (14.8 °C on average) and the coldest is January (5.0 °C). Rainfall peaks in October.
Belfast averages 13 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 164 rainy days per year.
Belfast has warmed by +0.9 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.11 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 19 to 7 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 25.8 °C (on 28 June 2018) and the coldest -9.7 °C (on 25 December 2010).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
BelfastNorthern Ireland
- coords
- 54.60°, -5.93°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
9.6°C
Average daily high
12.0°C
Average daily low
7.2°C
Annual rainfall
875mm
Sunshine / day
7.3h
Mean relative humidity
82%
Average peak wind
22.1km/h
Seasonal range
9.8°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
13 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
164 d/yr
Annual snowfall
14.2 cm
Average feels-like high
9.1 °C
Average feels-like low
3.9 °C
Average peak gust
42.8 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
9.6 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+0.9 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.26 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
25.8 °C
28 June 2018
Coldest day
-9.7 °C
25 December 2010
Wettest day
48 mm
2 October 1981
Windiest day
61.8 km/h
13 January 1965
Strongest gust
122.4 km/h
5 January 1991
Hottest feels-like
28.3 °C
12 July 1983
Coldest feels-like
-14.5 °C
25 December 2010
Snowiest day
23.6 cm
22 March 2013
Sunniest day
16.9 h
1 July 2025
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7.1 °C | +0.2 °C | 47 mm | -31 mm |
| Feb | 8.3 °C | +1.1 °C | 55 mm | -7 mm |
| Mar | 10.8 °C | +2.0 °C | 21 mm | -43 mm |
| Apr | 13.4 °C | +2.6 °C | 78 mm | +16 mm |
| May | 16.0 °C | +2.5 °C | 51 mm | -19 mm |
| Jun | 17.2 °C | +1.1 °C | 111 mm | +43 mm |
| Jul | 18.8 °C | +1.3 °C | 89 mm | +12 mm |
| Aug | 18.9 °C | +1.5 °C | 46 mm | -35 mm |
| Sep | 15.6 °C | 0.0 °C | 119 mm | +45 mm |
| Oct | 13.0 °C | +0.3 °C | 106 mm | +23 mm |
| Nov | 10.3 °C | +0.9 °C | 118 mm | +42 mm |
| Dec | 8.8 °C | +1.0 °C | 100 mm | +19 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Belfast?
Belfast has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 9.6 °C and it receives 875 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Belfast?
The hottest day measured in Belfast between 1940 and 2025 was 28 June 2018, reaching 25.8 °C.
What is the coldest day in Belfast?
The coldest day measured in Belfast between 1940 and 2025 was 25 December 2010, at -9.7 °C.
Does it snow in Belfast?
Yes. Belfast gets on average 14.2 cm of snow per year and has around 13 frost days.
Has the climate of Belfast warmed?
Yes: Belfast warmed by +0.9 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Belfast?
The wettest day measured in Belfast between 1940 and 2025 was 2 October 1981, with 48 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Belfast?
The windiest day measured in Belfast between 1940 and 2025 was 13 January 1965, with winds reaching 61.8 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Belfast?
The warmest month in Belfast is July (14.8 °C on average); the coldest is January (5.0 °C).
How much does it rain in Belfast?
Belfast receives on average 875 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 164 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Belfast?
Belfast gets on average 7.3 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 2,665 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Belfast?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Belfast between 1940 and 2025 was 22 March 2013, with 23.6 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Belfast?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Belfast.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Belfast?
In Belfast, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 28.3 °C on 12 July 1983, and the lowest was -14.5 °C on 25 December 2010.
Compare Belfast with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Belfast