Climate of Wales facts for kids

A map showing the different climate types in Wales.

The climate of Wales is all about the usual weather conditions that happen in Wales over a long time. Think of it as the average weather you can expect there, not just what it's like on one particular day.

Wales generally has warmer weather all year compared to Northern Ireland and Scotland. Its winters are milder than England's, meaning it doesn't get quite as cold. However, its summer days can be a bit cooler than Northern Ireland's. Wales also gets more rain than Northern Ireland and England, but it has fewer rainy days than Northern Ireland. This means when it rains in Wales, it often rains quite heavily! Wales is also usually drier than Scotland, except for May, June, and December. It also has more sunshine than Scotland and Northern Ireland, but less than England. May is usually the sunniest month.

Understanding Wales's Climate

Sunny Days in Wales

The south-western coast of Wales gets the most sunshine. It averages over 1,700 hours of sunshine every year! Tenby, a town in Pembrokeshire, is known as the sunniest spot. The least sunny time of year is between November and January. The sunniest months are from May to August. Mountain areas get the least sunshine, sometimes less than 1,200 hours a year.

Windy Weather

The wind in Wales usually blows from the south-west. Coastal areas are the windiest places. Strong winds, called gales, happen most often in winter. They can occur for 15 to 30 days each year along the coast. Inland, away from the sea, gales happen less often, usually fewer than six days a year.

Daylight Hours

Because Wales is quite far north (between 51° and 53° N latitude), it has very long days in summer and very short days in winter. For example, Aberystwyth, on the west coast, has almost 17 hours of daylight during the summer solstice (the longest day of the year). But in midwinter, daylight there drops to just over seven and a half hours.

Local Weather Differences

Wales has many different types of landscapes, which causes local differences in sunshine, rain, and temperature. Along the coast, the average yearly temperature is about 10.5°C. In low-lying inland areas, it's about 1°C cooler. As you go higher up into the mountains, it gets even colder. For every 100 meters you go up, the temperature drops by about 0.5°C. This is why the higher parts of Snowdonia have an average yearly temperature of only about 5°C.

How Warm is Wales?

Temperatures in Wales are warmer than you might expect for how far north it is. This is thanks to the North Atlantic Current, which is part of the Gulf Stream. This ocean current brings warmer water from the tropics to northern areas, warming up places like Wales and most of north-west Europe. The warm air from the Gulf Stream also blows inland with the winds. In lower areas, summers are usually warm and sunny, with average high temperatures between 19°C and 22°C. Winters are often quite wet, but temperatures usually stay above freezing. Spring and autumn feel similar, with temperatures often staying above 14°C.

Rainfall in Wales

How much rain falls can vary a lot across Wales. The further west you go, the more rain you can expect, sometimes up to 40 percent more! In lower areas, rain can happen at any time of year, but summer showers are usually shorter. The mountains of Wales get the most rain. They often have more than 50 rainy days during the winter months (December to February). In summer (June to August), this drops to about 35 rainy days. In Snowdonia, the yearly rainfall can be huge, from 3,000 mm in Blaenau Ffestiniog to 5,000 mm at Snowdon's summit.

Snow in Wales

Snow or sleet is likely to fall when the temperature drops below 5°C. In the highest parts of Wales, snow can stay on the ground for about 30 days a year. Snow falls several times each winter in inland areas. However, it's quite rare around the coast, where the average yearly rainfall is less than 1,000 mm.

Climate Data for Wales

Climate Chart Explained

This chart gives you a quick look at Wales's climate throughout the year. The letters at the top are for the months, from January to December.

• The blue bars show how much precipitation (like rain or snow) falls each month.
• The blue numbers tell you the amount of precipitation in millimeters.
• The red numbers are the average highest and lowest temperatures for each month.
• The red bars show the average range of temperatures for each month.
• The thin gray line is 0°C (32°F), which is the freezing point.

Record Temperatures for Wales

Here are the highest and lowest temperatures ever recorded in Wales, according to the UK's Met Office.