July brings 23°C daytime highs, 45mm of precipitation across about 12 wet days and 15.9 hours of daylight — best for hiking and cycling. The strongest run of the year is June to August. January is the quietest month: quiet and local, and still good for quiet and local.
Long-run climate normals for London. Month ratings compare months within London only — they are not a ranking of London against other destinations, and they are not a forecast for a specific year.
Last updated: · Live forecast data refreshes hourly.
| Best month | July — Hiking, Cycling |
| Best 3-month window | June–August |
| Quietest month | January — Quiet and local |
| Driest month | February — 41mm |
| Wettest month | October — 69mm |
| Warmest / coolest | July 23°C / February 8°C |
| Seasonality | Strongly seasonal — the months feel like different places |
| Annual rainfall | 602mm over roughly 156 rain days |
January gets roughly 22% more precipitation than July — 55mm against 45mm. That difference, more than temperature, is what changes how a day here feels.
Daytime highs only move 15°C across the whole year (8–23°C), so timing matters far less here than rainfall does.
June gives you 16.4 hours of daylight against just 7.6 in December — a 9-hour difference in how much you can actually fit into a day.
February is the driest month at 41mm across roughly 11 wet days, while October peaks at 69mm.
June is almost as good as July, but usually quieter and cheaper. If your dates are flexible, it is the easier trip.
London changes character completely through the year — July and January are effectively two different destinations. Pick the month that matches what you want to do, not the highest-rated one.
Ratings compare months within London, not against destinations worldwide: five stars means the best time to be here, not that London beats anywhere else. Tags describe what the conditions actually suit.
| Month | Rating | High / Low | Precipitation | Wet days | Sun | Daylight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | ★★☆☆☆ | 8°C / 2°C | 55mm | 14 | 5h | 8.1h | Quiet and local |
| February | ★★☆☆☆ | 8°C / 2°C | 41mm | 11 | 5h | 9.7h | Low-angle light · Quiet and local |
| March | ★★★☆☆ | 10°C / 4°C | 42mm | 11 | 5h | 11.6h | Spring greenery |
| April | ★★★★☆ | 14°C / 6°C | 44mm | 11 | 6h | 13.7h | Hiking · Cycling · Spring greenery |
| May | ★★★★☆ | 17°C / 9°C | 49mm | 13 | 6h | 15.5h | Hiking · Cycling · Spring greenery |
| June | ★★★★★ | 21°C / 11°C | 45mm | 12 | 11h | 16.4h | Hiking · Cycling · Long light evenings |
| July | ★★★★★ | 23°C / 13°C | 45mm | 12 | 11h | 15.9h | Hiking · Cycling |
| August | ★★★★★ | 23°C / 13°C | 50mm | 13 | 11h | 14.3h | Hiking · Cycling |
| September | ★★★★☆ | 21°C / 11°C | 49mm | 13 | 7h | 12.4h | Hiking · Cycling |
| October | ★★☆☆☆ | 17°C / 9°C | 69mm | 18 | 4h | 10.3h | Autumn colour · Low-angle light · Quiet and local |
| November | ★★☆☆☆ | 14°C / 6°C | 59mm | 15 | 4h | 8.5h | Autumn colour · Low-angle light · Quiet and local |
| December | ★★☆☆☆ | 10°C / 4°C | 55mm | 14 | 3h | 7.6h | Festive season · Quiet and local |
| You are planning | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sun & beach days | July | 11h daily sunshine, 23°C highs and only 12 rain days. |
| City walking & sightseeing | July | 23°C highs with 15.9h of daylight — long days without heat fatigue. |
| Photography & light | June | 11h of sun and 16.4h daylight give the widest window for golden-hour work. |
| Value & fewer crowds | September | Scores 64/100 — close to peak conditions but outside the busiest window. |
| Cooler-weather travel | May | 17°C highs and 9°C nights suit anyone who dislikes heat. |
Each month in London is described from long-run climate normals and then rated relative to the other eleven months in the same city. A five-star January in a cold destination means January is one of the best times to be there — not that it beats a Mediterranean summer.
| Factor | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Described | Average daytime high and overnight low for the month, shown as measured rather than judged. |
| Precipitation | Described | Monthly millimetres and wet-day count, labelled as snow or rain/snow where temperatures make that the likely phase. |
| Sunshine & daylight | Described | Average daily sunshine hours and astronomical daylight length at mid-month, from the city’s latitude. |
| “Best for” tags | Derived | Applied only when the conditions genuinely support the activity — snow depth-friendly cold for skiing, 13–24°C and low rain risk for hiking, dark evenings at high latitude for aurora. A month with few strong use cases gets fewer tags rather than padded ones. |
| Star rating | Relative | Ranks the month against the other eleven months in the same city. Never a comparison between cities. |
Figures are long-run climate averages, not a forecast for a specific year. Where a month lacks sourced rainfall or humidity, the value is modelled from temperature range and rain frequency.
July is the best all-round month in London: 23°C highs, 45mm of precipitation and 15.9 hours of daylight, which suits hiking and cycling. The strongest three-month window is June to August.
January — 8°C highs, 55mm of precipitation over roughly 14 days and 8.1 hours of daylight. It is the cheapest and least crowded time to go, and it still works for quiet and local.
February is the driest month at 41mm over about 11 rain days, against 69mm in October. Across the year London records around 602mm.
Yes, but the months are genuinely different trips. July suits hiking and cycling, while January suits quiet and local. Pick the month that matches what you want to do.
Daylight ranges from 7.6 hours in December to 16.4 hours in June, calculated from the city's latitude.