Dorchester climate — normals and trends
Dorchester (United Kingdom) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 10.4 °C and it receives 740 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 (16.6 °C on average) and the coldest is January (5.1 °C). Rainfall peaks in October.
Dorchester averages 27 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 131 rainy days per year.
Dorchester has warmed by +1.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.17 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 38 to 16 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 32.0 °C (on 18 July 2022) and the coldest -11.3 °C (on 1 January 1979).
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
DorchesterEngland
- coords
- 50.72°, -2.43°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
10.4°C
Average daily high
13.4°C
Average daily low
7.4°C
Annual rainfall
740mm
Sunshine / day
8.2h
Mean relative humidity
83%
Average peak wind
22.1km/h
Seasonal range
11.5°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
27 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
131 d/yr
Annual snowfall
7.9 cm
Average feels-like high
10.8 °C
Average feels-like low
4.5 °C
Average peak gust
42.7 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
11.2 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.5 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.39 · 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
32.0 °C
18 July 2022
Coldest day
-11.3 °C
1 January 1979
Wettest day
47 mm
27 December 1979
Windiest day
72.6 km/h
25 January 1990
Strongest gust
140.4 km/h
30 October 2000
Hottest feels-like
35.2 °C
27 June 1976
Coldest feels-like
-17.2 °C
21 January 1940
Snowiest day
17.4 cm
19 February 1978
Sunniest day
16.0 h
15 June 1940
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 | 7.5 °C | +0.3 °C | 120 mm | +53 mm |
| Feb | 8.1 °C | +0.6 °C | 59 mm | +4 mm |
| Mar | 11.9 °C | +2.3 °C | 12 mm | -45 mm |
| Apr | 15.5 °C | +3.3 °C | 49 mm | -6 mm |
| May | 18.5 °C | +3.1 °C | 29 mm | -35 mm |
| Jun | 20.6 °C | +2.3 °C | 77 mm | +20 mm |
| Jul | 22.9 °C | +2.7 °C | 47 mm | -7 mm |
| Aug | 22.0 °C | +2.1 °C | 39 mm | -23 mm |
| Sep | 17.7 °C | 0.0 °C | 78 mm | +20 mm |
| Oct | 14.7 °C | +0.5 °C | 68 mm | -4 mm |
| Nov | 12.0 °C | +1.6 °C | 98 mm | +26 mm |
| Dec | 9.9 °C | +1.7 °C | 108 mm | +39 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 Dorchester?
Dorchester has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 10.4 °C and it receives 740 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Dorchester?
The hottest day measured in Dorchester between 1940 and 2025 was 18 July 2022, reaching 32.0 °C.
What is the coldest day in Dorchester?
The coldest day measured in Dorchester between 1940 and 2025 was 1 January 1979, at -11.3 °C.
Does it snow in Dorchester?
Yes. Dorchester gets on average 7.9 cm of snow per year and has around 27 frost days.
Has the climate of Dorchester warmed?
Yes: Dorchester warmed by +1.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Dorchester?
The wettest day measured in Dorchester between 1940 and 2025 was 27 December 1979, with 47 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Dorchester?
The windiest day measured in Dorchester between 1940 and 2025 was 25 January 1990, with winds reaching 72.6 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Dorchester?
The warmest month in Dorchester is July (16.6 °C on average); the coldest is January (5.1 °C).
How much does it rain in Dorchester?
Dorchester receives on average 740 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 131 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Dorchester?
Dorchester gets on average 8.2 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 2,993 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Dorchester?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Dorchester between 1940 and 2025 was 19 February 1978, with 17.4 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Dorchester?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Dorchester.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Dorchester?
In Dorchester, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 35.2 °C on 27 June 1976, and the lowest was -17.2 °C on 21 January 1940.
Compare Dorchester with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Dorchester