Reading climate — normals and trends
Reading (United Kingdom) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 10.0 °C and it receives 633 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 (16.8 °C on average) and the coldest is January (4.0 °C). Rainfall peaks in May.
Reading averages 40 frost days, 1 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 124 rainy days per year.
Reading has warmed by +1.8 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.21 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 56 to 24 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 36.2 °C (on 19 July 2022) and the coldest -16.3 °C (on 10 February 1986).
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
ReadingEngland
- coords
- 51.46°, -0.97°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
10.0°C
Average daily high
13.3°C
Average daily low
6.6°C
Annual rainfall
633mm
Sunshine / day
7.4h
Mean relative humidity
81%
Average peak wind
20.7km/h
Seasonal range
12.8°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
40 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
1 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
124 d/yr
Annual snowfall
13.7 cm
Average feels-like high
10.6 °C
Average feels-like low
3.6 °C
Average peak gust
40.9 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
10.5 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.8 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.46 · 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
36.2 °C
19 July 2022
Coldest day
-16.3 °C
10 February 1986
Wettest day
64 mm
20 July 2007
Windiest day
63.2 km/h
25 January 1990
Strongest gust
128.9 km/h
25 January 1990
Hottest feels-like
38.8 °C
28 July 1947
Coldest feels-like
-20.9 °C
10 February 1986
Snowiest day
15.8 cm
9 January 1968
Sunniest day
16.0 h
4 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 | 6.2 °C | -0.1 °C | 78 mm | +25 mm |
| Feb | 7.6 °C | +0.7 °C | 55 mm | +11 mm |
| Mar | 12.4 °C | +2.9 °C | 16 mm | -32 mm |
| Apr | 16.5 °C | +4.1 °C | 25 mm | -24 mm |
| May | 19.0 °C | +3.3 °C | 19 mm | -40 mm |
| Jun | 22.6 °C | +3.7 °C | 46 mm | -8 mm |
| Jul | 23.8 °C | +2.9 °C | 67 mm | +14 mm |
| Aug | 22.9 °C | +2.4 °C | 34 mm | -20 mm |
| Sep | 18.1 °C | +0.2 °C | 50 mm | -1 mm |
| Oct | 14.4 °C | +0.4 °C | 49 mm | -9 mm |
| Nov | 11.3 °C | +1.7 °C | 101 mm | +43 mm |
| Dec | 9.3 °C | +2.1 °C | 61 mm | +7 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 Reading?
Reading has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 10.0 °C and it receives 633 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Reading?
The hottest day measured in Reading between 1940 and 2025 was 19 July 2022, reaching 36.2 °C.
What is the coldest day in Reading?
The coldest day measured in Reading between 1940 and 2025 was 10 February 1986, at -16.3 °C.
Does it snow in Reading?
Yes. Reading gets on average 13.7 cm of snow per year and has around 40 frost days.
Has the climate of Reading warmed?
Yes: Reading warmed by +1.8 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Reading?
The wettest day measured in Reading between 1940 and 2025 was 20 July 2007, with 64 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Reading?
The windiest day measured in Reading between 1940 and 2025 was 25 January 1990, with winds reaching 63.2 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Reading?
The warmest month in Reading is July (16.8 °C on average); the coldest is January (4.0 °C).
How much does it rain in Reading?
Reading receives on average 633 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 124 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Reading?
Reading gets on average 7.4 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 2,701 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Reading?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Reading between 1940 and 2025 was 9 January 1968, with 15.8 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Reading?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Reading.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Reading?
In Reading, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 38.8 °C on 28 July 1947, and the lowest was -20.9 °C on 10 February 1986.
Compare Reading with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Reading