Brighton in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Brighton sees average daytime highs around 9°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 257 mm of precipitation over about 39 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 10°C in early December to 8°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Brighton's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Brighton's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 9°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 6°C
- Precipitation
- 257 mm
- 39 wet days
- Avg wind
- 30 km/h
- Travel score
- 1.4
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Brighton in Winter
Over the season highs ease from about 10°C in early December to 8°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Brighton reaches about 9°C and drops to 6°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.
Brighton weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8° / 6° | 90 | 14.1 | 0.5 | 8.2 | 1.3 |
| Feb | 8° / 5° | 63 | 11.1 | 0.5 | 9.7 | 1.2 |
| Mar | 9° / 6° | 50 | 9.9 | 0.3 | 11.5 | 1.7 |
| Apr | 10° / 8° | 48 | 9.3 | 0 | 13.5 | 2.5 |
| May | 13° / 10° | 46 | 8.5 | 0 | 15.2 | 3.6 |
| Jun | 15° / 13° | 47 | 8.5 | 0 | 16.2 | 4.8 |
| Jul | 17° / 15° | 49 | 8.8 | 0 | 15.8 | 5.9 |
| Aug | 18° / 16° | 62 | 9.3 | 0 | 14.3 | 6.1 |
| Sep | 17° / 15° | 67 | 10.7 | 0 | 12.4 | 5.4 |
| Oct | 15° / 12° | 108 | 13.9 | 0 | 10.4 | 4.0 |
| Nov | 12° / 9° | 116 | 15.4 | 0 | 8.7 | 2.6 |
| Dec | 9° / 7° | 103 | 14.1 | 0.3 | 7.8 | 1.8 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Brighton gets around 257 mm of rain and snow over 39 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 30 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 8 h 06 min in early December to 10 h 30 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 1.1 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Brighton?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Brighton.
What to pack for Brighton in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Brighton sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer, rain gear and a windbreaker. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 39 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Brighton in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 10°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 23 km away) is warmest in September at about 17°C and coldest in March near 8°C.
The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 12 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Bracing |
| Feb | 9 | Bracing |
| Mar | 8 | Bracing |
| Apr | 9 | Bracing |
| May | 11 | Bracing |
| Jun | 13 | Bracing |
| Jul | 16 | Cool |
| Aug | 17 | Cool |
| Sep | 17 | Cool |
| Oct | 16 | Cool |
| Nov | 14 | Bracing |
| Dec | 12 | Bracing |
UV index in Brighton in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Brighton peaks around August 10 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | High | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 1 | Low |
| Mar | 3 | Moderate |
| Apr | 4 | Moderate |
| May | 6 | High |
| Jun | 6 | High |
| Jul | 6 | High |
| Aug | 6 | High |
| Sep | 4 | Moderate |
| Oct | 2 | Moderate |
| Nov | 1 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Where is Brighton?
Brighton sits at 50.8°N, 0.1°W, 29 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Hove, 2.0 km away.
Topography around Brighton
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Brighton.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Brighton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 177 m around an average of 42 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 247 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 302 m.
The land around Brighton is covered by artificial surfaces (39%), water (29%) and trees (20%) within 3 km, water (42%) and grassland (29%) within 16 km, and water (35%), grassland (24%) and trees (23%) within 80 km.
United Kingdom travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type D / G / M
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 89% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $57,602
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.7 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 100%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 1.1
- per 100k, 2021
- Road deaths
- 3.2
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Brighton (50.8284°, -0.1395°, elevation 29 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.