Glasgow climate
Glasgow is warmest in July, with average highs of 18 °C, and coldest in February, when nights average 1.3 °C. January is the wettest month (117 mm) and April the driest (75 mm). Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.
Across a full year Glasgow averages 1,164 mm of rain, 1 days above 25 °C and 52 days below freezing.
United Kingdom · population 626,410 · 1991–2020 normals
Temperature below 0 °C to above 30 °C Rain band height is that month’s share of the wettest month
- Warmest month July 18 °C
- Coldest month February 1.3 °C
- Driest month April 75 mm
- Wettest month January 117 mm
- Least cloud May 70 % cloud
- Hottest on record June 29 °C
- Coldest on record December -13 °C
What to expectGlasgow through the year
Glasgow has a clear annual cycle: average daily highs run from 6.5 °C in February to 18 °C in July, a swing of 11 °C in mean temperature across the year.
Counted across a normal year, 1 days a year reach 25 °C, 52 nights drop below freezing. The warmest reading in the 1991–2020 record is 29 °C, in June.
Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year, from 75 mm in April to 117 mm in January. There is no dry season to aim for.
Month by month
| Month | Avg high | Rainfall | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.8 °C | 117 mm | 77 % |
| February | 6.5 °C | 98 mm | 75 % |
| March | 8.1 °C | 88 mm | 75 % |
| April | 10.8 °C | 75 mm | 72 % |
| May | 13.8 °C | 80 mm | 70 % |
| June | 16.0 °C | 86 mm | 76 % |
| July | 17.6 °C | 94 mm | 76 % |
| August | 17.2 °C | 105 mm | 74 % |
| September | 15.1 °C | 86 mm | 75 % |
| October | 11.7 °C | 113 mm | 75 % |
| November | 8.3 °C | 107 mm | 75 % |
| December | 5.9 °C | 115 mm | 76 % |
Temperature month by month
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Mean | Record high | Record low | Days above 25 °C | Days above 30 °C | Days below 0 °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.8 °C | 1.4 °C | 3.7 °C | 12.8 °C | -8.9 °C | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| February | 6.5 °C | 1.3 °C | 3.9 °C | 15.0 °C | -9.8 °C | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| March | 8.1 °C | 2.1 °C | 5.2 °C | 18.0 °C | -7.7 °C | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| April | 10.8 °C | 3.6 °C | 7.3 °C | 21.7 °C | -3.6 °C | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| May | 13.8 °C | 6.3 °C | 10.2 °C | 24.8 °C | -2.0 °C | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| June | 16.0 °C | 9.3 °C | 12.9 °C | 28.6 °C | 2.0 °C | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| July | 17.6 °C | 11.1 °C | 14.5 °C | 28.1 °C | 5.4 °C | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| August | 17.2 °C | 10.9 °C | 14.2 °C | 26.4 °C | 4.0 °C | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| September | 15.1 °C | 9.1 °C | 12.2 °C | 24.1 °C | 1.3 °C | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| October | 11.7 °C | 6.4 °C | 9.1 °C | 19.7 °C | -3.3 °C | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| November | 8.3 °C | 3.6 °C | 6.0 °C | 14.7 °C | -6.7 °C | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| December | 5.9 °C | 1.4 °C | 3.8 °C | 13.2 °C | -13.3 °C | 0 | 0 | 11 |
Rain, sun and wind month by month
| Month | Rainfall | Wet days | Daylight | Cloud cover | Humidity | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 117 mm | 17 | 7.6 h/day | 77 % | 88 % | 23 km/h |
| February | 98 mm | 14 | 9.6 h/day | 75 % | 85 % | 23 km/h |
| March | 88 mm | 14 | 12 h/day | 75 % | 82 % | 22 km/h |
| April | 75 mm | 14 | 14 h/day | 72 % | 79 % | 20 km/h |
| May | 80 mm | 14 | 16 h/day | 70 % | 77 % | 20 km/h |
| June | 86 mm | 14 | 18 h/day | 76 % | 79 % | 18 km/h |
| July | 94 mm | 15 | 17 h/day | 76 % | 81 % | 18 km/h |
| August | 105 mm | 16 | 15 h/day | 74 % | 83 % | 18 km/h |
| September | 86 mm | 13 | 13 h/day | 75 % | 84 % | 19 km/h |
| October | 113 mm | 15 | 10 h/day | 75 % | 86 % | 21 km/h |
| November | 107 mm | 16 | 8.3 h/day | 75 % | 88 % | 21 km/h |
| December | 115 mm | 16 | 7.0 h/day | 76 % | 90 % | 22 km/h |
Where Glasgow ranks
| Ranking | Position | Value |
|---|---|---|
| The coolest places in Europe in July | 12thof 50 | 18 °C |
| The coolest places in Europe in August | 13thof 50 | 17 °C |
| The coolest places in Europe in June | 17thof 50 | 16 °C |
| The coolest places in Europe in May | 30thof 50 | 14 °C |
| The coolest places in the world in May | 44thof 50 | 14 °C |
| The coolest places in Europe in September | 50thof 50 | 15 °C |
Planning a trip? See the best time to visit Glasgow.
QuestionsCommon questions about Glasgow’s climate
When is the best time to visit Glasgow?
That depends on what you want, so the honest answer is a comparison rather than a single month. June, July, August sit closest to 20 °C on average, July is the warmest month and April the driest. The month-by-month table above has the full picture.
How hot does Glasgow get?
In July, the warmest month, daily highs average 18 °C. The highest value in the 1991–2020 record is 29 °C.
How cold does it get in winter?
Nights average 1.3 °C in February, the coldest month. A normal year has 52 nights below freezing.
Which month is wettest in Glasgow?
January, averaging 117 mm over 17 days with rain. The driest month is April with 75 mm. The year as a whole averages 1,164 mm.
Are these figures a forecast?
No. They are 1991–2020 climate normals: the average of thirty years, which describes what a month is usually like in Glasgow rather than what any particular week will bring. Individual years can differ substantially from the normal.
Data sources and method
- ERA5 / ERA5-Land reanalysis — Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), ECMWF. Copernicus Licence
- Open-Meteo — Open-Meteo.com. CC BY 4.0
- NOAA OISST v2.1 — NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory. Public domain
- GeoNames — GeoNames.org. CC BY 4.0
- Normal period
- 1991–2020
- Dataset version
- era5-1991-2020-scores1.1
- Last processed
Measured values come from ERA5 reanalysis and are reproduced unchanged. Calculated by us: monthly rankings, daylight hours, beach and comfort scores. Full formulas are on the methodology page.
Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.