Climate and average weather in Newquay

In Newquay, the summers are mild, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are cool, breezy, and mostly cloudy.

Best: early June to late September

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Newquay typically varies from 5°C to 19°C, and is rarely below 0°C or above 23°C. August is the hottest month of the year, while February is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Newquay for warm-weather activities is from early June to late September.

Hottest
Aug
19°
Coldest
Feb
Wettest
Dec
96 mm
Driest
Sep
60 mm
Rain / yr
877 mm
158 wet days
Daylight
7.8–16.2 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
31 m
50.4°N
Clearest
Apr
66% cloud

Newquay is town, civil parish, seaside resort and fishing port in Cornwall, England.

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

Newquay weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early June to late September.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Newquay, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 3.6 months, from June 10 to September 26, with daily high temperatures above 16°C. The hottest month of the year in Newquay is August, with an average high of 19°C and low of 14°C.

The cool season lasts 4.0 months, from November 25 to March 25, with daily high temperatures below 11°C. The coldest month of the year in Newquay is February, with an average low of 5°C and high of 9°C.

Days typically run about 5°C warmer than nights year-round.

10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
Jan95
Feb95
Mar106
Apr127
May159
Jun1712
Jul1914
Aug1914
Sep1712
Oct1510
Nov128
Dec106

Average hourly temperature in Newquay

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on August afternoons, near 19°C, and coldest before dawn in February, near C.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Newquay weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 8615.18.31.6
Feb / 6912.69.71.6
Mar10° / 6412.911.52.2
Apr12° / 6312.513.53.0
May15° / 6312.315.24.0
Jun17° / 12°6311.716.15.1
Jul19° / 14°6411.715.85.7
Aug19° / 14°7012.414.35.6
Sep17° / 12°6010.812.45.3
Oct15° / 10°8914.310.53.8
Nov12° / 9316.18.82.5
Dec10° / 9615.57.91.8

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Newquay gets about 877 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is often wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 4.8 months, from around Oct 14 to Mar 7, peaking in November at about 54% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Sep 6.

December is the wettest month by volume, with 96 mm over about 16 wet days; September is the driest, with 60 mm.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwetterdrierwettermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetNov 7 · 54%Sep 6 · 33%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan4915
Feb4513
Mar4113
Apr4113
May4112
Jun3912
Jul3712
Aug4012
Sep3611
Oct4614
Nov5316
Dec5016

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Newquay collects about 877 mm of rain across 158 wet days — roughly 73 mm in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. December is the wettest month with 96 mm, while September is the driest at just 60 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 32% of the year’s total.

0255075100125JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec866964636363647060899396
Rainfall (mm)Rain days
Jan8615
Feb6913
Mar6413
Apr6313
May6312
Jun6312
Jul6412
Aug7012
Sep6011
Oct8914
Nov9316
Dec9616

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Newquay, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around March 19 and lasts for 6.2 months, ending around September 23. The clearest month is April, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 39% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around September 24 and lasts for 5.8 months, ending around March 18. The cloudiest month is November, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 73% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecApr 15 · 41%Nov 18 · 26%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan2872
Feb3169
Mar3268
Apr3961
May3565
Jun3565
Jul3664
Aug3466
Sep3367
Oct3070
Nov2773
Dec2872

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 14, brings about 16 h 12 min of light; the shortest, around December 13, only 7 h 48 min — a swing of roughly 8 h 24 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan8.38:224:37
Feb9.77:435:26
Mar11.56:446:16
Apr13.55:357:06
May15.24:407:53
Jun16.14:158:26
Jul15.84:328:20
Aug14.35:157:34
Sep12.46:036:26
Oct10.56:525:19
Nov8.87:444:27
Dec7.98:224:11

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Newquay averages about 5 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 3 and 7 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 4.5 months, from around Mar 14 to Jul 29. The sunniest month is April, with roughly 7 sunny days (gloomy).

The greyest month is November, down near 3 sunny days — about 47% fewer than the April peak.

0510JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedApr 157 daysNov 133 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan4Gloomy
Feb4Gloomy
Mar5Gloomy
Apr7Gloomy
May6Gloomy
Jun6Gloomy
Jul6Gloomy
Aug5Gloomy
Sep5Gloomy
Oct4Gloomy
Nov3Gloomy
Dec4Gloomy

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Newquay, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in August, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 12% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecOct 24 · 100%Aug 8 · 85%humidcomfortabledrycomfortablehumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
Jan10000
Feb10000
Mar10000
Apr10000
May9640
Jun76221
Jul44488
Aug424612
Sep65314
Oct84160
Nov9820
Dec10000

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Across the year, average wind speed in Newquay is typically light breeze, near 20 km/h, and varies moderately with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 5.7 months, from around Oct 11 to Mar 31. The windiest month is January, averaging about 23 km/h (breezy).

The calmer part of the year runs from around Apr 1 to Oct 10, with July the calmest month at about 17 km/h.

051015202530JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwindiercalmerwindiercalmlight breezebreezywindyJan 5 · 23 km/hJul 27 · 17 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan23breezy
Feb22breezy
Mar21breezy
Apr19light breeze
May18light breeze
Jun17light breeze
Jul17light breeze
Aug17light breeze
Sep18light breeze
Oct20breezy
Nov22breezy
Dec23breezy

Best time to visit Newquay

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Newquay throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around mid September, Newquay is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Newquay for general outdoor tourist activities is from early June to late September, with a peak score in the third week of July.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationJul 20 · 5.9

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan1.6poor
Feb1.6poor
Mar2.2poor
Apr3.0poor
May4.0fair
Jun5.1fair
Jul5.7good
Aug5.6good
Sep5.3fair
Oct3.8fair
Nov2.5poor
Dec1.8poor

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Newquay for hot-weather activities is from early July to late August, with a peak score in the last week of July.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationJul 27 · 2.6

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Newquay, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around August (highs near 19°C), the essentials are rain gear. In the cold season around February (highs near 9°C), pack a warm layer, rain gear and a windbreaker.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In August, Newquay sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Newquay

Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in March near 9°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan10Bracing
Feb10Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov13Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index (midday) in Newquay by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Newquay peaks around August 14 at about 7 (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 14UV 7Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Average hourly UV index in Newquay

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in August the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 7 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 2.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan00
Feb00
Mar00
Apr50
May6.50
Jun70
Jul70
Aug72.5
Sep50
Oct00
Nov00
Dec00
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free day

Newquay is mild enough that a frost-free day stays more likely than not even in midwinter.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan950
Feb950
Mar980
Apr1000
May1000
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct1000
Nov1000
Dec970

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 10°C)

Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Newquay banks about 797 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around August.

02004006008001,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°C·days)
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr2
May58
Jun130
Jul190
Aug194
Sep143
Oct73
Nov6
Dec0

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Newquay receives about 3.2 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — moderate — with a clear seasonal swing between 0.7 and 5.7 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 5.9 months, from around Mar 23 to Sep 19. The brightest month is June, averaging about 5.6 kWh/m² (bright).

The dimmest month is December, down near 0.7 kWh/m² — roughly 87% less than the June peak.

01234567JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseJun 185.7 kWhDec 220.7 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan0.9Dim
Feb1.6Dim
Mar2.8Moderate
Apr4.5Bright
May5.4Bright
Jun5.7Bright
Jul5.3Bright
Aug4.5Bright
Sep3.3Moderate
Oct2.0Dim
Nov1.1Dim
Dec0.7Dim

Where is Newquay?

Newquay sits at 50.4°N, 5.1°W, 31 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Truro, 17 km away.

Topography around Newquay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Newquay has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 81 m around an average of 25 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 264 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 584 m.

The land around Newquay is covered by water (35%) and grassland (30%) within 3 km, water (42%) and grassland (30%) within 16 km, and water (65%) and grassland (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
81 m
16 km
264 m
80 km
584 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Nearby: Truro 17 km · St Austell 23 km · Redruth 23 km · Bodmin 25 km · Camborne 28 km · Falmouth 29 km · Penzance 47 km · Saltash 60 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 Newquay (50.4156°, -5.0732°, elevation 31 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).