Bristol weather by month & the best time to visit
🇬🇧 United Kingdom · city break · oceanic / maritime climate
The best time to visit Bristol is July — its sunniest month (Sunshine Score 75/100), with August and June close behind. Bristol averages about 1,565 hours of sunshine a year. Daytime highs around 21°C / 70°F and roughly 69 mm of rain in July.
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- Sun hours / year
- 1,565
- Sunniest month
- July
- Peak score
- 75/100
- Rain / year
- 812 mm
- Midday UV at peak
- 5 (moderate)
- Sea at warmest
- 21°C / 70°F
- Population
- 554k
- Elevation
- 182 m
When is the best time to visit Bristol?
For sunshine, the best time to visit Bristol is July, then August and June. The dullest month is January (0/100, 76 mm of rain). The full month-by-month picture is in the table below.
How sunny is Bristol?
Bristol isn't a sunny place by world standards: about 1,565 hours of sunshine a year. 75 Sunshine Score points separate July (75) from January (0), so the month you pick matters. It ranks #11 of 48 destinations in United Kingdom for annual sunshine, above the national median of 1,345 hours. The year's 812 mm of rain spreads fairly evenly across the months, with no pronounced dry season.
Sunshine Score by month
| Month | Score | Day high | Night low | Rain | UV | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | 6° / 43°F | 1° / 34°F | 76 mm | 0 | 6° / 43°F |
| February | 0 | 7° / 45°F | 1° / 34°F | 60 mm | 1 | 7° / 45°F |
| March | 6 | 9° / 48°F | 2° / 36°F | 60 mm | 2 | 9° / 48°F |
| April | 26 | 12° / 54°F | 4° / 39°F | 50 mm | 3 | 11° / 52°F |
| May | 51 | 16° / 61°F | 7° / 45°F | 60 mm | 4 | 15° / 59°F |
| June | 70 | 19° / 66°F | 10° / 50°F | 62 mm | 5 | 18° / 64°F |
| July | 75 | 21° / 70°F | 12° / 54°F | 69 mm | 5 | 20° / 68°F |
| August | 74 | 20° / 68°F | 12° / 54°F | 72 mm | 4 | 21° / 70°F |
| September | 65 | 18° / 64°F | 9° / 48°F | 50 mm | 3 | 17° / 63°F |
| October | 36 | 14° / 57°F | 7° / 45°F | 83 mm | 1 | 13° / 55°F |
| November | 12 | 10° / 50°F | 4° / 39°F | 86 mm | 1 | 11° / 52°F |
| December | 0 | 7° / 45°F | 2° / 36°F | 84 mm | 0 | 8° / 46°F |
Sea temperature in Bristol by month
The sea off Bristol is warmest in August at around 21°C / 70°F, and coolest in January at 6°C / 43°F. The water sits at a comfortable 21°C or warmer roughly 1 month a year. Month-by-month sea-surface temperatures are in the Sea column of the table above.
See Bristol on the interactive sunshine globe →
Nearby places for sunshine
- Cardiff United Kingdom · 44 km · best in Jul · 1,565 h sun/yr
- Exeter United Kingdom · 87 km · best in Jul · 1,796 h sun/yr
- Bournemouth United Kingdom · 91 km · best in Sep · 1,899 h sun/yr
- Southampton United Kingdom · 106 km · best in Sep · 1,900 h sun/yr
- Birmingham United Kingdom · 136 km · best in Jul · 1,561 h sun/yr
- London United Kingdom · 157 km · best in Sep · 1,592 h sun/yr
Head-to-head
How Bristol compares month by month: Bristol vs Cardiff · Bristol vs Bournemouth · Bristol vs Southampton · Bristol vs Exeter · all comparisons
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