Best time to visit Manchester

Re-score for me — drag the dial — every chart on the page recolours live for your heat limit 27°C
I'm comfortable up to 27°C feels-like
22° heat-averse 30° heat-loving

Default 27 °C is the upper edge of the Holiday Climate Index "ideal comfort" band (Scott, Rutty, Amelung & Tang, 2016). Above this, most warm-tourism travellers report measurable discomfort.

Saved to this browser. Changes update the strips below.
Recent · 2020-2024
Interest Google Trends 2021-2025 searches, not arrivals (?)
Day · avg daily high (?)
Night · avg overnight low (?)
UV index · On a typical day around midday, UV is about this (?)
1234444311
On the sunniest 1 in 10 days, UV reaches this — and even higher
466654
PM2.5 air quality · on a typical day (?)
11101210986788109
On the worst 1 in 10 days, PM2.5 reaches this — and even higher
20182317151281014141918
June 7/10 feels 18°C (+2°C vs 1991-2020) · HCI 68/100
Day 19° · Night 11° 62% humidity 19 km/h wind 14 rain days (168h) 243h sun
Thermal 8
Sky 6
Rain 5
Wind 10

Higher = better, including rain & wind (green = "doesn't hurt the score", not "lots of it").

How is this scored? HCI / Steadman / CCI gate — full methodology and citations below.

Compare with another destination

Add as many as you like — stacked below the main strips above. Each row is just the recent-window score strip and (for beach destinations) sea-temperature strip.

Similar climatesGlasgow93% · Galway91% · Cork91%

Other destinations with the most-alike year-round climate to Manchester (apparent temperature, rain hours, sunshine — matched within the same trip-profile). The ±N chip compares each match's typical score for the current month against Manchester's. Based on the 2020-2024 climatology, not this year's actual weather.

Month-by-month

Month Temp °C Feels °C Rain days Rain h Rain h/day Humidity Wind km/h Sun h UV Interest Score
Jan 2–7 4 16 192 12.0 84% 22 72 — Quiet 3
Feb 3–9 5 19 251 13.2 78% 26 90 1 Quiet 3
Mar 3–11 7 14 201 14.4 69% 23 155 2 Quiet 4
Apr 4–13 10 12 155 12.9 61% 21 215 3 Quiet 6
May 8–16 14 15 185 12.3 64% 19 234 4 Quiet 6
Jun 11–19 18 14 168 12.0 62% 19 243 4 Quiet 7
Jul 13–20 19 20 273 13.7 68% 19 212 4 Quiet 5
Aug 13–20 19 18 221 12.3 68% 20 220 4 Peak 6
Sep 11–18 17 14 164 11.7 71% 19 173 3 Busy 6
Oct 9–14 12 20 231 11.6 78% 22 121 1 Moderate 4
Nov 5–10 8 16 191 11.9 83% 20 84 1 Busy 4
Dec 3–8 5 20 251 12.6 86% 21 56 — Moderate 2

UV Index in Manchester by Month

UV index in Manchester peaks at 4 (moderate) in June, dropping to 0 (low) in January.

Best months in detail

June

7/10

11–19°C (feels 18°C) · 14 rain days (168h) · 243 sun hours · 62% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 4 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 6 (high)

September

6/10

11–18°C (feels 17°C) · 14 rain days (164h) · 173 sun hours · 71% humidity · Busy crowd · UV 3 (low) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 4 (moderate)

August

6/10

13–20°C (feels 19°C) · 18 rain days (221h) · 220 sun hours · 68% humidity · Peak crowd · UV 4 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 5 (moderate)

Every month

Show the other 9 months in detail

January

3/10

2–7°C (feels 4°C) · 16 rain days (192h) · 72 sun hours · 84% humidity · Quiet crowd

February

3/10

3–9°C (feels 5°C) · 19 rain days (251h) · 90 sun hours · 78% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 1 (low)

March

4/10

3–11°C (feels 7°C) · 14 rain days (201h) · 155 sun hours · 69% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 2 (low)

April

6/10

4–13°C (feels 10°C) · 12 rain days (155h) · 215 sun hours · 61% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 3 (low) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 4 (moderate)

May

6/10

8–16°C (feels 14°C) · 15 rain days (185h) · 234 sun hours · 64% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 4 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 6 (moderate)

July

5/10

13–20°C (feels 19°C) · 20 rain days (273h) · 212 sun hours · 68% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 4 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 6 (moderate)

October

4/10

9–14°C (feels 12°C) · 20 rain days (231h) · 121 sun hours · 78% humidity · Moderate crowd · UV 1 (low)

November

4/10

5–10°C (feels 8°C) · 16 rain days (191h) · 84 sun hours · 83% humidity · Busy crowd · UV 1 (low)

December

2/10

3–8°C (feels 5°C) · 20 rain days (251h) · 56 sun hours · 86% humidity · Moderate crowd

Frequently asked questions about visiting Manchester

When is the best time to visit Manchester?

June is the highest-scoring month (7/10 on the Holiday Climate Index). Typical conditions: 11–19°C (14 rainy days). The top three months by score are June, September, August.

What is the worst time to visit Manchester?

December is the lowest-scoring month (2/10). Typical conditions: 3–8°C (20 rainy days).

When are crowds lowest in Manchester?

Search-interest seasonality (Google Trends 2021-2025) is lowest in March and peaks in August. Interest tracks both in-trip visitors and lead-time planners, so treat it as a "destination is on people's minds" signal rather than literal arrivals.

Which months in Manchester have good weather but fewer tourists?

June (climate 7/10, crowd index 23) and April (climate 6/10, crowd index 4) — shoulder months with above-average climate and below-median search-interest. Often the best value-for-weather trade.

What is the UV index in Manchester by month?

UV peaks at 4 (moderate) in June and is lowest in January at 0 (low). Monthly peak values: Jan —, Feb 1, Mar 2, Apr 3, May 4, Jun 4, Jul 4, Aug 4, Sep 3, Oct 1, Nov 1, Dec —.

What is the UV index in Manchester in June?

June is the peak UV month in Manchester, with a daily-peak UV index of 4 (moderate). Standard sun protection — sunglasses and light SPF — is recommended.

How high can UV get in Manchester on the sunniest days?

Most days look like the monthly average, but on the sunniest ~1 in 10 days UV climbs higher than the mean suggests. June is the worst case: typical days average UV 4 (moderate), but the top 10% of days reach UV 6 (high) — and even higher. Months where the sunniest days routinely exceed the typical reading: April, May, June, July, August, September. Plan sun protection for the worst case, not the average.

Is air quality in Manchester bad for travelers?

PM2.5 (fine-particle pollution) exceeds the WHO sensitive-group guideline (15 µg/m³) in 7 months: January, February, March, April, May, November, December. The worst month is March with a typical-day mean of 12 µg/m³ (moderate); on the worst 10% of days PM2.5 reaches 23 µg/m³ (unhealthy for sensitive) and higher. People with asthma, heart conditions, or sensitive children may want to avoid these months or limit outdoor activity. Source: CAMS via Open-Meteo.