Climate - Ipswich (England)

The climate of Ipswich is oceanic, with quite cold, rainy winters and mild, relatively rainy summers.
The city is located in the south-east of England, in Suffolk (i.e. the southern part of the region called East Anglia), near the North Sea coast, on the estuary of the River Orwell.
Winter is not very cold, but the sky is often cloudy, the humidity is high and there are periods when the wind blows moderate or strong. The rains are frequent.
Due to the proximity to continental Europe, cold air masses from the east can sometimes arrive, which can bring snow after passing over the North Sea.
On the coldest nights of the year, the temperature generally drops to around -5 °C (23 °F), but can sometimes drop to lower values. At Wattisham Airport, located a little further from the sea, the temperature reached -16 °C (3 °F) in January 1963, to -15 °C (5 °F) in January 1979, to -12 °C (10.5 °F) in December 1981, to -14 °C (7 °F) in January 1985, to -9 °C (16 °F) in February 1986, to -12 °C (10.5 °F) in January 1987, to -9 °C (16 °F) in February 1991, to -10 °C (14 °F) in December 1995, to -10.5 °C (13 °F) in December 2010, to -9.5 °C (15 °F) in February 2012, and to -11 °C (12 °F) in January 2013.
In summer, temperatures are generally mild or cool. It can also rain, albeit a little less often than in winter. However, we are in the warmest area of Great Britain, which also includes London, the only one where the maximum temperature in July reaches 23 °C (73 °F).
Furthermore, very hot periods cannot be ruled out, usually of short duration. The temperature reached 33 °C (91.5 °F) in June 1976, in August 1990 and in June 1996, 35 °C (95 °F) in August 2003, 34 °C (93 °F) in July 2018 and in July 2019, and 33 °C (91.5 °F) in August 2020.
The average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 4.1 °C (39 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 17.8 °C (64 °F). Here are the average temperatures.

Precipitation amounts to 570 millimeters (22.4 inches) per year: so, it is one of the least rainy cities in Britain. It ranges from 35 mm (1.4 in) in the driest months (February, July) to 60 mm (2.4 in) in the wettest (October). Here is the average precipitation.

On average, there are around 1,710 sunshine hours per year. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

The sea temperature ranges between 7 °C (45 °F) and 17 °C (63 °F). So, it never becomes warm for swimming. Here are the average sea temperatures.

Best Time

The best time to visit Ipswich is the summer, or more generally from mid-May to mid-September: temperatures are generally good for outdoors activities, although it's better to bring an umbrella, and a sweatshirt or sweater for the evening or for cool days.