Climate - Plymouth (England)

The climate of Plymouth is oceanic, with quite cold, rainy winters and mild, relatively rainy summers.
The city is located in the south-west of England, in Devon, in the area that in winter is the mildest of the country. Not surprisingly, snow is very rare, and even when it snows, only a few centimeters (1 inch = 2.54 cm) generally accumulate on the ground.
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 -2/-3 °C (27/28 °F °F), but can sometimes drop to lower values. The temperature dropped to -9 °C (16 °F) in January 1979, to -6 °C (21 °F) in December 1981, to -8.5 °C (16.5 °F) in January 1987, to -6.5 °C (20.5 °F) in February 1991, to -7 °C (19.5 °F) in January 2009, and to -5.5 °C (22 °F) in December 2010.
In summer, temperatures are generally mild or cool. It can also rain, albeit a little less often than in winter.
Due to its coastal location, Plymouth is a little more sheltered from the heat waves that can sometimes affect the south east of England. However, hot periods cannot be ruled out, usually of short duration. The temperature reached 32 °C (89.5 °F) in June 1976, 31 °C (88 °F) in July 1983 and in August 1990, and 30 °C (86 °F) in August 2003.
The average temperature of the coldest months (January, February) is of 6.5 °C (44 °F), that of the warmest months (July, August) is of 16.5 °C (62 °F). Here are the average temperatures.

Precipitation amounts to 1,005 millimeters (39.6 inches) per year: so, it is at the highest level among the lowlands of England. It ranges from 55 mm (2.2 in) in the driest month (June) to 120 mm (4.7 in) in the wettest (December). Here is the average precipitation.

On average, there are around 1,730 sunshine hours per year. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

The sea temperature ranges between 9 °C (48 °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 Plymouth 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.