Climate - Guernsey (United Kingdom)

The climate of Guernsey is oceanic, cool and humid throughout the year.
The island is located in the English Channel, a short distance from the French coast of Lower Normandy, and belongs to Great Britain.
The average temperature ranges from 6,5 °C (43.5 °F) in February to 17 °C (62.5 °F) in August. Here are the average temperatures.

Precipitation amounts to 840 millimeters (33 inches) per year. The relatively wettest season is autumn, the least rainy is summer. Here is the average precipitation.

Winter, from December to February, is quite cold: temperatures are not so low, but wind and humidity can increase the sensation of cold. The sky is often cloudy, and rainfall is frequent. Sometimes, intense Atlantic depressions can cause wind storms.
Snowfalls are relatively rare and not abundant. Usually, cold spells are not intense and do not last long. The temperature rarely drops below -3 °C (26.5 °F), however, it dropped to -5 °C (23 °F) in February 1978 and in January 1985, to -7.5 °C (18.5 °F) in January 1987, to -7 °C (19.5 °F) in February 1991, to -4.5 °C (24 °F) in January 1997, and to -4 °C (25 °F) in February 2018.

In spring, from March to May, the temperature slowly rises, and Atlantic fronts become a bit less frequent. In May, it is often still quite cold, especially in the first half of the month.

Summer, from June to August, is cool, with quite frequent rains, but also with a bit of good weather. Sometimes fog can form.
Hot days are rare: the temperature may not reach 25 °C (77 °F) for an entire month. However, it can sometimes exceed 30 °C (86 °F). It reached reached 31 °C (88 °F) in June 1976, 33 °C (91.5 °F) in August 1990, 34 °C (93 °F) in August 2003, 32 °C (89.5 °F) in July 2019, and 31 °C (88 °F) in August 2020.

Autumn, from September to November, is gray, cloudy and rainy, and with each passing week, it gets progressively colder. In November, the wind is often moderate or strong.



The sun in Guernsey does not shine often from October to March (although it can come out between one disturbance and another), while from April to September, it shines for an acceptable number of hours. In one year, there are 1,865 hours of sunshine: we are at the levels of the English south coast, which is the highest in Great Britain. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

The sea is cold all year round, however, from July to September the water temperature reaches 17/18 °C (62/64 °F). Here are the average sea temperatures.

Best Time

The best time to visit Guernsey runs from June to mid-September. July and August are the warmest months, or the least cool, however, it's better to bring a sweatshirt and a light jacket also in midsummer.