Leicester climate
Leicester is warmest in July, with average highs of 21 °C, and coldest in February, when nights average 1.8 °C. July is the wettest month (66 mm) and February the driest (42 mm). Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.
Across a full year Leicester averages 667 mm of rain, 8 days above 25 °C and 36 days below freezing.
United Kingdom · population 368,600 · 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 21 °C
- Coldest month February 1.8 °C
- Driest month February 42 mm
- Wettest month July 66 mm
- Least cloud July 66 % cloud
- Hottest on record July 33 °C
- Coldest on record February -10 °C
What to expectLeicester through the year
Leicester has a clear annual cycle: average daily highs run from 7.5 °C in February to 21 °C in July, a swing of 12 °C in mean temperature across the year.
Counted across a normal year, 8 days a year reach 25 °C, 0 of them reach 30 °C, 36 nights drop below freezing. The warmest reading in the 1991–2020 record is 33 °C, in July.
Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year, from 42 mm in February to 66 mm in July. There is no dry season to aim for.
Month by month
| Month | Avg high | Rainfall | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.8 °C | 50 mm | 74 % |
| February | 7.5 °C | 42 mm | 71 % |
| March | 9.8 °C | 45 mm | 71 % |
| April | 12.6 °C | 52 mm | 68 % |
| May | 15.7 °C | 56 mm | 67 % |
| June | 18.5 °C | 63 mm | 70 % |
| July | 20.8 °C | 66 mm | 66 % |
| August | 20.5 °C | 62 mm | 67 % |
| September | 17.8 °C | 54 mm | 69 % |
| October | 13.8 °C | 62 mm | 71 % |
| November | 9.7 °C | 58 mm | 73 % |
| December | 7.0 °C | 57 mm | 72 % |
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 | 6.8 °C | 1.9 °C | 4.4 °C | 13.9 °C | -10.0 °C | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| February | 7.5 °C | 1.8 °C | 4.6 °C | 15.8 °C | -10.2 °C | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| March | 9.8 °C | 2.9 °C | 6.3 °C | 18.4 °C | -9.1 °C | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| April | 12.6 °C | 4.6 °C | 8.6 °C | 23.5 °C | -3.2 °C | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| May | 15.7 °C | 7.5 °C | 11.8 °C | 26.4 °C | -0.5 °C | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| June | 18.5 °C | 10.6 °C | 14.8 °C | 29.2 °C | 2.6 °C | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| July | 20.8 °C | 12.7 °C | 16.9 °C | 32.8 °C | 6.2 °C | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| August | 20.5 °C | 12.7 °C | 16.6 °C | 31.2 °C | 6.3 °C | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| September | 17.8 °C | 10.5 °C | 14.1 °C | 28.5 °C | 2.6 °C | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| October | 13.8 °C | 7.9 °C | 10.8 °C | 26.7 °C | -3.1 °C | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| November | 9.7 °C | 4.6 °C | 7.2 °C | 17.1 °C | -5.8 °C | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| December | 7.0 °C | 2.5 °C | 4.8 °C | 14.9 °C | -8.0 °C | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Rain, sun and wind month by month
| Month | Rainfall | Wet days | Daylight | Cloud cover | Humidity | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50 mm | 12 | 8.2 h/day | 74 % | 87 % | 26 km/h |
| February | 42 mm | 10 | 9.9 h/day | 71 % | 84 % | 25 km/h |
| March | 45 mm | 10 | 12 h/day | 71 % | 80 % | 24 km/h |
| April | 52 mm | 11 | 14 h/day | 68 % | 78 % | 22 km/h |
| May | 56 mm | 10 | 16 h/day | 67 % | 76 % | 22 km/h |
| June | 63 mm | 11 | 17 h/day | 70 % | 75 % | 21 km/h |
| July | 66 mm | 11 | 16 h/day | 66 % | 74 % | 20 km/h |
| August | 62 mm | 10 | 15 h/day | 67 % | 75 % | 20 km/h |
| September | 54 mm | 10 | 13 h/day | 69 % | 79 % | 21 km/h |
| October | 62 mm | 11 | 11 h/day | 71 % | 83 % | 24 km/h |
| November | 58 mm | 11 | 8.7 h/day | 73 % | 88 % | 24 km/h |
| December | 57 mm | 11 | 7.7 h/day | 72 % | 88 % | 25 km/h |
How Leicester compares
The same four figures for nearby destinations, so the numbers above have something to be read against. Summer high is the warmest month's average high; winter low is the coldest month's average low.
| Destination | Summer high | Winter low | Rain per year | Days above 25 °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leicester | 21 °C | 1.8 °C | 667 mm | 8 |
| Derby · United Kingdom | 20 °C | 1.7 °C | 716 mm | 6 |
| Birmingham · United Kingdom | 20 °C | 1.4 °C | 724 mm | 6 |
| Mansfield · United Kingdom | 20 °C | 1.3 °C | 718 mm | 6 |
Planning a trip? See the best time to visit Leicester.
QuestionsCommon questions about Leicester’s climate
When is the best time to visit Leicester?
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 February the driest. The month-by-month table above has the full picture.
How hot does Leicester get?
In July, the warmest month, daily highs average 21 °C. About 0 days a year pass 30 °C. The highest value in the 1991–2020 record is 33 °C.
How cold does it get in winter?
Nights average 1.8 °C in February, the coldest month. A normal year has 36 nights below freezing.
Which month is wettest in Leicester?
July, averaging 66 mm over 11 days with rain. The driest month is February with 42 mm. The year as a whole averages 667 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 Leicester 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
- Data point
- 52.639°, -1.132° (the coordinates the reanalysis values are taken for)
- 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.