Dorchester weather in August

In August, Dorchester sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 71 mm of rain across 10.7 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in August, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 15 h 12 min at the start of August to 13 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Dorchester's 3rd-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dorchester's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
13°
12th coldest
Rainfall
71 mm
10.7 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
5:04 AM – 7:24 PM
Cloud cover
67%
3rd clearest
Wind
14 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.44 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Dorchester is town in Dorset, England, UK.

Density
3,431/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month.

A typical August day in Dorchester reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 2°C warmer than September.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12114
22114
32114
42114
52114
62114
72114
82114
92114
102114
112114
122114
132013
142013
152013
162013
172013
182013
192013
202013
212013
222013
232013
242013
252013
262013
272013
282013
291912
301912
311912

How August really feels in Dorchester

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

August sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Dorchester weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 70120.38.31.2
Feb / 5610.50.69.71.3
Mar10° / 5310.10.411.52.3
Apr13° / 6311.50.113.53.3
May16° / 6311.1015.24.6
Jun18° / 11°6010.8016.25.7
Jul20° / 13°5710.8015.86.2
Aug20° / 13°7110.7014.36.1
Sep18° / 11°569.3012.45.7
Oct14° / 8112.3010.43.9
Nov11° / 7712.208.72.4
Dec / 7611.70.27.81.5

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23862
33862
43862
53862
63763
73763
83763
93763
103763
113763
123763
133763
143763
153763
163664
173664
183664
193565
203664
213664
223565
233565
243664
253664
263664
273565
283565
293466
303565
313565

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Dorchester gets around 71 mm of rain over 10.7 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 34% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
336
436
536
636
735
835
935
1035
1135
1235
1335
1435
1535
1636
1736
1836
1936
2036
2136
2235
2335
2434
2533
2633
2732
2831
2930
3029
3129

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of August feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, August lands in the comfortable band about 44% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13353140
23451150
33550150
43649150
53647161
63746161
73845161
83944161
94043161
104043161
114142161
124242161
134242151
144242151
154342151
164342141
174343141
184343131
194344121
204344121
214444111
224544111
234644101
24474490
25484390
26494380
27504280
28514270
29524170
30534070
31544060

Wind in August

Winds average 14 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 h 12 min at the start of August to 13 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 108 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 4:41 AM to 5:27 AM, and sunset from 7:51 PM to 6:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.24:417:51
215.14:427:49
315.14:447:48
415.04:457:46
515.04:477:44
614.94:487:43
714.94:507:41
814.84:517:39
914.74:537:37
1014.74:547:35
1114.64:567:34
1214.64:577:32
1314.54:597:30
1414.55:007:28
1514.45:027:26
1614.35:047:24
1714.35:057:22
1814.25:077:20
1914.25:087:18
2014.15:107:16
2114.05:117:14
2214.05:137:12
2313.95:157:10
2413.95:167:08
2513.85:187:05
2613.75:197:03
2713.75:217:01
2813.65:236:59
2913.55:246:57
3013.55:266:54
3113.45:276:52

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 4.44 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.71 kWh/m² to a high of 5.56 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 4.44 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
24.9Bright
34.9Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.4Bright
174.4Bright
184.4Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.2Bright
234.2Bright
244.1Bright
254.1Bright
264.1Bright
274.0Bright
284.0Bright
294.0Moderate
303.9Moderate
313.9Moderate
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Dorchester?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

6.1
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
3.3
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Dorchester for sightseeing.

What to pack for Dorchester in August

From August's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In August, Dorchester sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

rain gear

Sea temperature near Dorchester in August

The nearest coast averages about 17°C in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August 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.

10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan10Bracing
Feb9Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Dorchester in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dorchester peaks around August 13 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 13UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Dorchester?

Dorchester sits at 50.7°N, 2.4°W, 55 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Weymouth, 12 km away.

Topography around Dorchester

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Dorchester.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dorchester has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 75 m around an average of 74 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 408 m.

The land around Dorchester is covered by grassland (42%) and cropland (30%) within 3 km, grassland (42%) and cropland (27%) within 16 km, and grassland (36%) and water (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
75 m
16 km
272 m
80 km
408 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
August weather nearby: Weymouth 12 km · Yeovil 29 km · Poole 32 km · Wimborne Minster 33 km · Ferndown 39 km · Bournemouth 39 km · Christchurch 46 km · New Milton 54 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
Christian 60%none 26%Muslim 4%other 2%

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 Dorchester (50.7167°, -2.4333°, elevation 55 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).