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Belfast weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Temperature-wise, the seasons in Belfast are gentle: monthly means drift only 9.7°C over the whole year. Rainfall is spread quite evenly across the year. Belfast weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, extremes and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+0.3°Chigh near average

13° / 8°Today
13° / 9°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+0.7°Caverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–494frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 13 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 13 in the 1940s+0.7°C vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 85 mmhigh 7°low 4°February, rain 67 mmhigh 8°low 4°March, rain 69 mmhigh 9°low 4°April, rain 67 mmhigh 11°low 6°May, rain 75 mmhigh 14°low 8°June, rain 73 mmhigh 17°low 11°July, rain 82 mmhigh 18°low 13°August, rain 86 mmhigh 18°low 12°September, rain 79 mmhigh 16°low 11°October, rain 88 mmhigh 13°low 9°November, rain 82 mmhigh 10°low 6°December, rain 86 mmhigh 8°low 4°wettest month October, 88 mm · 938 mm a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Clear

Right now

9.0°

5°feels like
83%humidity
6°dew point
12 km/hfrom SE
UV index0.0
sunrise08:02sunset18:14day length10h 12m
TodayOvercast13°8°
WedOvercast10°4°
ThuOvercast11°3°
FriOvercast10°7°
SatOvercast14°5°
SunClear15°9°
MonDrizzle14°9°

On this date: October 20

Today (forecast)
13° / 8°
Average for October 20
13° / 9°

High near average · +0.3°C

  • Highest since 1940: 16.6° · 1968
  • Lowest since 1940: 3.5° · 2002
  • One year ago: 15° / 11°

Every October 20 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 20 on record (n = 86). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Belfast is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 54.60°N, 5.93°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
54.60°N, 5.93°W
Time zone
Europe/London
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

19 of the last 30 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +0.7°C.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

The year peaks in July, at around 17.9°C by mid-afternoon, with nights around 12.5°C. In January, the coolest month, afternoons reach about 7.4°C and nights dip to 3.6°C.

In total, Belfast averages about 938 mm of precipitation a year; October is usually the wettest month (88 mm) and February the driest (67 mm). Precipitation falls on roughly 130 days in a typical year.

Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Belfast has risen by 0.7°C between its first decade and its last. That last decade has also been the warmest in the record.

Climate graph (climograph)

July is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 10°C. Wettest month: October (~88 mm). Whole year averages ~938 mm of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 130 rainy days a year: most in May (~12), fewest in February (~9).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 2 mm per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Belfast month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Highest and Lowest are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightHighestLowest
January7.4°3.6°85 mm117.6 h14.2° (2022)−8.7° (1979)
February7.7°3.6°67 mm99.4 h14.8° (1998)−5.0° (1963)
March9.2°4.4°69 mm1111.5 h18.5° (1965)−6.6° (1947)
April11.3°5.8°67 mm1013.8 h20.2° (2025)−1.4° (1968)
May14.0°8.1°75 mm1215.8 h23.3° (2010)−0.1° (1979)
June16.6°10.8°73 mm1117.0 h26.2° (2018)4.5° (2011)
July17.9°12.5°82 mm1116.5 h26.1° (2021)7.1° (1963)
August17.9°12.4°86 mm1114.7 h25.4° (1990)6.2° (1964)
September16.0°11.0°79 mm1112.4 h24.2° (2023)3.2° (1972)
October13.2°8.9°88 mm1110.2 h20.6° (1969)0.1° (1992)
November9.9°5.9°82 mm118.1 h17.6° (1946)−2.8° (2010)
December8.2°4.4°86 mm117.0 h15.0° (2016)−9.2° (2010)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +0.7°C.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.11°C per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Dec–Feb is warming fastest: +0.16°C per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 25°C per year: 0.1 early in the record → 0.7 recently. Frost days: 13 → 4.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

Hottest day since 1940 in 2018, coldest in 2010: 26.2°C / −9.2°C.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~938 mm/year on average. Last decade: +4% vs that average. Long-term trend: +20 mm per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Belfast

Which is the warmest month in Belfast?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Belfast is July (mean daily temperature of about 15.2°C) and the coolest is January (about 5.5°C).
How does today's temperature in Belfast compare to the historical average?
On October 20, 2026, Belfast is forecast to reach a high of 12.9°C and a low of 8.0°C. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 12.6°C and a low of 8.7°C, so today's high is about equal to that average.
How much has Belfast warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Belfast is about 0.7°C warmer.
How much does it rain in Belfast?
Belfast receives about 938 mm of precipitation per year on long-term average, with October typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Belfast?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Belfast is about 10.1°C. The warmest month is July and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Belfast by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Belfast (°C, full record since 1940): January 7°/4°, February 8°/4°, March 9°/4°, April 11°/6°, May 14°/8°, June 17°/11°, July 18°/13°, August 18°/12°, September 16°/11°, October 13°/9°, November 10°/6°, December 8°/4°.
What is the weather like in Belfast in summer?
Summer in Belfast (June to August) is fairly mild. Expect 17–18°C by day and 11–13°C at night, with July the warmest month. Rain falls on about 11 days a month, adding up to around 80 mm.
What is the weather like in Belfast in winter?
Winter in Belfast (December to February) is cold. Daytime highs sit at 7–8°C and nights at 4°C; January is the coldest month. Rain is steady at around 79 mm a month, spread over roughly 11 days.
What is the weather like in Belfast in spring?
In spring, March through May, Belfast is cool. March is still 9°C in the afternoon and 4°C at night, May already 14°C and 8°C. Rain falls on about 11 days a month, adding up to around 70 mm.
What is the weather like in Belfast in autumn?
September to November is autumn in Belfast, and it is cool. September is still 16°C by day and 11°C at night; by November it is down to 10°C and 6°C. Rain is steady at around 83 mm a month, spread over roughly 11 days.
How many days a year does it rain in Belfast?
On long-term average, Belfast has about 130 days a year with at least 2 mm of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 938 mm.

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