Climate - Southampton (England)

The climate of Southampton is oceanic, with quite cold, rainy winters and mild, relatively rainy summers.
The city is located in the south of England, in the county of Hampshire, and overlooks the so-called Southampton Water, an estuary into which sea waters penetrate, and which then opens into a stretch of sea called The Solent, beyond which we find the Isle of Wight.
To the west of the city, we find instead the New Forest National Park.
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.
Snow is rare, but can occasionally occur. On the coldest nights of the year, the temperature generally drops to around -5 °C (23 °F), but can sometimes drop to lower values. The temperature reached -8 °C (17.5 °F) in February 1986, -10 °C (14 °F) in January 1987, -9 °C (16 °F) in February 1991, in December 2010 and in February 2012, and -8 °C (17.5 °F) in February 2018 and in January 2019.
In summer, temperatures are generally mild or cool. It can also rain, albeit a little less often than in winter.
However, hot periods cannot be ruled out, usually of short duration. The temperature reached 35 °C (95 °F) in June 1976 and in August 1990, and 33 °C (91.5 °F) in August 2003 and in August 2020.
The average temperature of the coldest month (February) is of 5.6 °C (42 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 18.1 °C (64 °F). Here are the average temperatures.

Precipitation amounts to 780 millimeters (30.7 inches) per year: so, it is at an intermediate level. It ranges from 40 mm (1.6 in) in the driest month (July) to 95 mm (3.7 in) in the wettest ones (October, November). Here is the average precipitation.

On average, there are around 1,690 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 Southampton is the summer, from June to August, since it is the warmest of the year, although even in this season, it's better to bring a sweatshirt, a light jacket and an umbrella. The month of June is a bit cooler, so you may prefer July and August. September is a good month as well: it's a bit rainier than the summer months, but the temperatures are still pleasant, especially in the first part.
As previously mentioned, the sea is very cool even in summer, however, on sunny days, when the breeze is not too cool, you can sunbathe.