Manchester in Spring
In spring (March, April and May), Manchester sees average daytime highs around 12°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 209 mm of precipitation over about 39 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 8°C in early March to 16°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.
Spring is Manchester's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Manchester's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 12°C
- 3rd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 5°C
- Precipitation
- 209 mm
- 39 wet days
- Avg wind
- 15 km/h
- Travel score
- 2.9
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Manchester in Spring
Over the season highs climb from about 8°C in early March to 16°C by late May.
A typical spring day in Manchester reaches about 12°C and drops to 5°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.
How spring really feels in Manchester
Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 34 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in spring is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Manchester weather by month
How the three spring months (March, April and May) 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 | 6° / 2° | 88 | 15 | 1.8 | 7.8 | 0.5 |
| Feb | 7° / 2° | 77 | 13.3 | 2.1 | 9.4 | 0.8 |
| Mar | 9° / 3° | 74 | 13.1 | 1.3 | 11.5 | 1.7 |
| Apr | 12° / 4° | 66 | 12.9 | 0.5 | 13.7 | 2.8 |
| May | 15° / 7° | 69 | 12.8 | 0 | 15.6 | 4.1 |
| Jun | 17° / 10° | 84 | 13.9 | 0 | 16.7 | 4.9 |
| Jul | 19° / 12° | 84 | 15.2 | 0 | 16.2 | 5.3 |
| Aug | 19° / 12° | 89 | 15.2 | 0 | 14.6 | 5.2 |
| Sep | 16° / 10° | 76 | 12.4 | 0 | 12.5 | 4.6 |
| Oct | 13° / 7° | 90 | 14.5 | 0 | 10.3 | 3.1 |
| Nov | 9° / 4° | 88 | 15.3 | 0.2 | 8.3 | 1.6 |
| Dec | 7° / 2° | 99 | 15 | 1.5 | 7.3 | 0.7 |
Cloud cover in Spring
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time across spring.
Chance of precipitation in Spring
Manchester gets around 209 mm of rain and snow over 39 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Spring
Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Spring
Winds average 15 km/h across spring.
Sunrise & sunset in Spring
Daylight runs from about 10 h 24 min in early March to 16 h 18 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Spring
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 3.7 kWh/m².
Is spring a good time to visit Manchester?
Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
spring is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Manchester.
What to pack for Manchester in Spring
From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In spring, Manchester sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 5°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 39 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Manchester in Spring
The nearest coast averages about 9°C across spring — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 60 km away) is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in February near 6°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) | 7 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 9 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Bracing |
| Feb | 6 | Bracing |
| Mar | 7 | Bracing |
| Apr | 9 | Bracing |
| May | 11 | Bracing |
| Jun | 14 | Bracing |
| Jul | 16 | Cool |
| Aug | 17 | Cool |
| Sep | 16 | Cool |
| Oct | 14 | Bracing |
| Nov | 11 | Bracing |
| Dec | 9 | Bracing |
UV index in Manchester in Spring
Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Manchester peaks around August 12 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. 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 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | High | High | Moderate | Low | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 1 | Low |
| Mar | 3 | Moderate |
| Apr | 3 | Moderate |
| May | 6 | High |
| Jun | 5 | High |
| Jul | 5 | High |
| Aug | 6 | High |
| Sep | 4 | Moderate |
| Oct | 2 | Low |
| Nov | 1 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Air quality in Manchester in Spring
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where spring falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Manchester is worst in April — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.8× the cleanest month (November, 9 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Manchester's WHO annual average of 11.5 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 12 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
| Level | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Good |
| Feb | 12 | Good |
| Mar | 15 | Moderate |
| Apr | 15 | Moderate |
| May | 13 | Moderate |
| Jun | 12 | Good |
| Jul | 11 | Good |
| Aug | 11 | Good |
| Sep | 11 | Good |
| Oct | 10 | Good |
| Nov | 9 | Good |
| Dec | 9 | Good |
Where is Manchester?
Manchester sits at 53.5°N, 2.2°W, 51 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Manchester City Centre, 1.0 km away.
Topography around Manchester
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Manchester.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Manchester has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m around an average of 45 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 402 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 722 m.
The land around Manchester is covered by artificial surfaces (73%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (37%), trees (34%) and grassland (25%) within 16 km, and grassland (52%) 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 Manchester (53.4809°, -2.2374°, elevation 51 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.