Swanage climate — normals and trends
Swanage (United Kingdom) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 11.4 °C and it receives 798 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 August (16.6 °C on average) and the coldest is February (6.7 °C). Rainfall peaks in November.
Swanage averages 2 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 131 rainy days per year.
Swanage has warmed by +1.3 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.15 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 4 to 0 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 24.5 °C (on 30 July 2024) and the coldest -4.4 °C (on 7 February 1991).
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
SwanageEngland
- coords
- 50.61°, -1.96°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
11.4°C
Average daily high
12.4°C
Average daily low
10.3°C
Annual rainfall
798mm
Sunshine / day
8.6h
Mean relative humidity
81%
Average peak wind
32.5km/h
Seasonal range
9.9°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
2 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
131 d/yr
Annual snowfall
5.2 cm
Average feels-like high
9.3 °C
Average feels-like low
5.8 °C
Average peak gust
44.4 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
11.8 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.3 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.35 · 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
24.5 °C
30 July 2024
Coldest day
-4.4 °C
7 February 1991
Wettest day
45 mm
31 July 1978
Windiest day
91.1 km/h
25 January 1990
Strongest gust
137.9 km/h
25 January 1990
Hottest feels-like
27.0 °C
9 August 2020
Coldest feels-like
-14.4 °C
12 January 1987
Snowiest day
13.2 cm
19 February 1978
Sunniest day
16.0 h
9 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 | 8.5 °C | +0.1 °C | 143 mm | +59 mm |
| Feb | 8.4 °C | +0.6 °C | 58 mm | -7 mm |
| Mar | 9.4 °C | +0.8 °C | 11 mm | -46 mm |
| Apr | 11.7 °C | +1.7 °C | 48 mm | +3 mm |
| May | 14.1 °C | +1.7 °C | 34 mm | -14 mm |
| Jun | 16.4 °C | +1.5 °C | 54 mm | +9 mm |
| Jul | 18.7 °C | +1.9 °C | 26 mm | -14 mm |
| Aug | 19.2 °C | +1.7 °C | 28 mm | -24 mm |
| Sep | 17.1 °C | +0.4 °C | 98 mm | +30 mm |
| Oct | 15.2 °C | +0.6 °C | 88 mm | -11 mm |
| Nov | 13.0 °C | +1.4 °C | 103 mm | -2 mm |
| Dec | 10.9 °C | +1.2 °C | 130 mm | +38 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 Swanage?
Swanage has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 11.4 °C and it receives 798 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Swanage?
The hottest day measured in Swanage between 1940 and 2025 was 30 July 2024, reaching 24.5 °C.
What is the coldest day in Swanage?
The coldest day measured in Swanage between 1940 and 2025 was 7 February 1991, at -4.4 °C.
Does it snow in Swanage?
Yes. Swanage gets on average 5.2 cm of snow per year and has around 2 frost days.
Has the climate of Swanage warmed?
Yes: Swanage warmed by +1.3 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Swanage?
The wettest day measured in Swanage between 1940 and 2025 was 31 July 1978, with 45 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Swanage?
The windiest day measured in Swanage between 1940 and 2025 was 25 January 1990, with winds reaching 91.1 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Swanage?
The warmest month in Swanage is August (16.6 °C on average); the coldest is February (6.7 °C).
How much does it rain in Swanage?
Swanage receives on average 798 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 131 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Swanage?
Swanage gets on average 8.6 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,139 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Swanage?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Swanage between 1940 and 2025 was 19 February 1978, with 13.2 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Swanage?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Swanage.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Swanage?
In Swanage, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 27.0 °C on 9 August 2020, and the lowest was -14.4 °C on 12 January 1987.
Compare Swanage with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Swanage