Manchester lies in the northwest of England, on a lowland plain hemmed by the Pennine hills to its east, at approximately 53.48°N, 2.24°W. It has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — mild, cloudy and famously wet — with its western, Atlantic-facing position and the nearby Pennines conspiring to make it one of the rainier major cities in England, though the sea keeps its temperatures mild and its extremes rare.

Summer, from June to August, is mild and often cloudy, with July the warmest month — average highs around 20–21°C and cool nights. Warm, settled spells bring the occasional hot day — Manchester reached the low 30s during the July 2022 heatwave — but most summers are changeable, with showers frequent even at the height of the season. It is nonetheless among the drier, brighter parts of the year.

Winter, from December to February, is cold and wet rather than severe, with January the coldest month — average highs around 7°C and lows near 1–2°C. The Atlantic keeps genuine cold snaps, hard frost and lying snow relatively infrequent in the city, so the season is more often characterised by grey skies, damp air and Atlantic fronts than by ice, though the surrounding hills see more frost and snow.

Manchester is one of the wettest major cities in England, receiving around 1,000–1,050 mm of rain a year — the moist Atlantic air, forced upward by the Pennines just to the east, wrings out frequent rain — falling on a large number of days spread through every month with an autumn and winter maximum. Its reputation as a rainy city is well earned. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Manchester's celebrated wetness owes much to geography: prevailing southwesterlies carry damp Atlantic air inland, and the Pennine hills on the city's doorstep lift that air to squeeze out extra rain, so grey, drizzly days are a defining part of local life. Rain is more often light and persistent than torrential, and the frequency of cloud keeps sunshine totals modest.

To follow any single measurement in Manchester more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.