Average weather, temperature, rainfall, sunshine hours
The climate of Oxford is
oceanic, with quite cold, rainy winters and mild, relatively rainy summers.
The city is located in southern England, 90 km (55 mi) north-west of London.
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.
On the coldest nights of the year, the temperature generally drops to around -6/-7 °C (19/21 °F), but can sometimes drop to lower values. The lowest record is -16.6 °C (2.1 °F), set in January 1982. On other occasions, the temperature reached -12 °C (10.5 °F) in February 1929, -10.5 °C (13 °F) in January 1940, -16 °C (3 °F) in February 1947, -14 °C (7 °F) in January 1963, -10 °C (14 °F) in January 1979, -16 °C (3 °F) in December 1981, -10 °C (14 °F) in January 1985, -10.5 °C (13 °F) in February 1986 and in January 1987, and -11 °C (12 °F) in December 2010.
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 highest record is 36.5 °C (97.7 °F), set in July 2019. On other occasions, the temperature reached 34.5 °C (94 °F) in June 1976, 32 °C (89.5 °F) in July 1983, 32.5 °C (90.5 °F) in July 1989, 35 °C (95 °F) in August 1990, 33.5 °C (92.5 °F) in August 1995, 34.5 °C (94 °F) in August 2003, and 35 °C (95 °F) in July 2006.
The
average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 4.9 °C (41 °F), that of the warmest month (August) is of 17.9 °C (64 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Oxford - Average temperaturesMonth | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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Min (°C) | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 2 |
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Max (°C) | 8 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 8 |
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Min (°F) | 36 | 36 | 39 | 41 | 46 | 52 | 55 | 55 | 52 | 46 | 41 | 36 |
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Max (°F) | 46 | 46 | 52 | 57 | 63 | 68 | 73 | 72 | 66 | 59 | 50 | 46 |
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Precipitation amounts to 660 millimeters (26 inches) per year: so, it is at an intermediate level. It ranges from 45 mm (1.8 in) in the driest month (February) to 70 mm (2.8 in) in the wettest (October). Here is the average precipitation.
Oxford - Average precipitationMonth | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
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Prec.(mm) | 55 | 45 | 50 | 50 | 55 | 50 | 50 | 55 | 55 | 70 | 65 | 65 | 660 |
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Prec.(in) | 2.2 | 1.8 | 2 | 2 | 2.2 | 2 | 2 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 26 |
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Days | 12 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 116 |
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On average, there are around 1,580
sunshine hours per year. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.
Oxford - SunshineMonth | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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Hours | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
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Best Time
The best time to visit Oxford 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.