Climate and average weather in Swansea
In Swansea, the summers are mild, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are cold, breezy, and mostly cloudy.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Swansea typically varies from 5°C to 18°C, and is rarely below 1°C or above 21°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 Swansea for warm-weather activities is from mid June to late September.
- Hottest
- Aug
- 18°
- Coldest
- Feb
- 5°
- Wettest
- Dec
- 145 mm
- Driest
- Apr
- 69 mm
- Rain / yr
- 1236 mm
- 172 wet days
- Daylight
- 7.6–16.4 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 18 m
- 51.6°N
- Clearest
- Apr
- 64% cloud
Swansea is city in Wales.
- Air quality
- Good
- PM2.5 9.9 µg/m³ · 2019
- Founded
- 1158
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Swansea 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 mid June to late September.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Swansea, 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 12 to September 29, with daily high temperatures above 15°C. The hottest month of the year in Swansea is August, with an average high of 18°C and low of 15°C.
The cool season lasts 4.0 months, from November 30 to March 30, with daily high temperatures below 10°C. The coldest month of the year in Swansea is February, with an average low of 5°C and high of 8°C.
Days typically run about 3°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 8 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 9 |
| Avg low (°C) | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 6 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | 5 |
| Feb | 8 | 5 |
| Mar | 9 | 6 |
| Apr | 11 | 7 |
| May | 13 | 10 |
| Jun | 16 | 12 |
| Jul | 18 | 14 |
| Aug | 18 | 15 |
| Sep | 17 | 13 |
| Oct | 14 | 11 |
| Nov | 11 | 8 |
| Dec | 9 | 6 |
Average hourly temperature in Swansea
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 18°C, and coldest before dawn in February, near 5°C.
Swansea weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8° / 5° | 128 | 17 | 0.4 | 8.1 | 1.1 |
| Feb | 8° / 5° | 90 | 13 | 0.6 | 9.6 | 1.1 |
| Mar | 9° / 6° | 83 | 13.7 | 0.3 | 11.5 | 1.6 |
| Apr | 11° / 7° | 69 | 12 | 0.1 | 13.6 | 2.5 |
| May | 13° / 10° | 72 | 12.4 | 0 | 15.3 | 3.6 |
| Jun | 16° / 12° | 79 | 12.2 | 0 | 16.3 | 4.6 |
| Jul | 18° / 14° | 86 | 13.8 | 0 | 15.9 | 5.2 |
| Aug | 18° / 15° | 101 | 14.3 | 0 | 14.4 | 5.2 |
| Sep | 17° / 13° | 96 | 13.2 | 0 | 12.4 | 4.8 |
| Oct | 14° / 11° | 143 | 16.7 | 0 | 10.4 | 3.4 |
| Nov | 11° / 8° | 143 | 17.3 | 0 | 8.6 | 2.2 |
| Dec | 9° / 6° | 145 | 16.8 | 0.3 | 7.7 | 1.4 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Swansea gets about 1236 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is very wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 4.6 months, from around Sep 23 to Feb 9, peaking in November at about 61% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Apr 13.
December is the wettest month by volume, with 145 mm over about 17 wet days; April is the driest, with 69 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 54 | 47 | 44 | 39 | 41 | 41 | 44 | 46 | 44 | 54 | 58 | 54 |
| Rain days | 17 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54 | 17 |
| Feb | 47 | 13 |
| Mar | 44 | 14 |
| Apr | 39 | 12 |
| May | 41 | 12 |
| Jun | 41 | 12 |
| Jul | 44 | 14 |
| Aug | 46 | 14 |
| Sep | 44 | 13 |
| Oct | 54 | 17 |
| Nov | 58 | 17 |
| Dec | 54 | 17 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Swansea collects about 1236 mm of rain across 172 wet days — roughly 103 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. December is the wettest month with 145 mm, while April is the driest at just 69 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 35% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 128 | 90 | 83 | 69 | 72 | 79 | 86 | 101 | 96 | 143 | 143 | 145 |
| Rain days | 17 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| Snow days | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 128 | 17 | 0 |
| Feb | 90 | 13 | 1 |
| Mar | 83 | 14 | 0 |
| Apr | 69 | 12 | 0 |
| May | 72 | 12 | 0 |
| Jun | 79 | 12 | 0 |
| Jul | 86 | 14 | 0 |
| Aug | 101 | 14 | 0 |
| Sep | 96 | 13 | 0 |
| Oct | 143 | 17 | 0 |
| Nov | 143 | 17 | 0 |
| Dec | 145 | 17 | 0 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Swansea, 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 24 and lasts for 6.0 months, ending around September 21. The clearest month is July, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 42% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around September 22 and lasts for 6.0 months, ending around March 23. The cloudiest month is December, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 73% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 29 | 30 | 33 | 42 | 41 | 42 | 42 | 37 | 36 | 29 | 28 | 27 |
| Cloudier (%) | 71 | 70 | 67 | 58 | 59 | 58 | 58 | 63 | 64 | 71 | 72 | 73 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 71 |
| Feb | 30 | 70 |
| Mar | 33 | 67 |
| Apr | 42 | 58 |
| May | 41 | 59 |
| Jun | 42 | 58 |
| Jul | 42 | 58 |
| Aug | 37 | 63 |
| Sep | 36 | 64 |
| Oct | 29 | 71 |
| Nov | 28 | 72 |
| Dec | 27 | 73 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
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 13, brings about 16 h 24 min of light; the shortest, around December 13, only 7 h 36 min — a swing of roughly 8 h 48 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 8.1 | 9.6 | 11.5 | 13.6 | 15.3 | 16.3 | 15.9 | 14.4 | 12.4 | 10.4 | 8.6 | 7.7 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 8:23 | 7:42 | 6:40 | 5:28 | 4:31 | 4:04 | 4:22 | 5:07 | 5:58 | 6:50 | 7:45 | 8:24 |
| Sunset (PM) | 4:27 | 5:19 | 6:11 | 7:04 | 7:53 | 8:28 | 8:21 | 7:32 | 6:22 | 5:12 | 4:17 | 4:00 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.1 | 8:23 | 4:27 |
| Feb | 9.6 | 7:42 | 5:19 |
| Mar | 11.5 | 6:40 | 6:11 |
| Apr | 13.6 | 5:28 | 7:04 |
| May | 15.3 | 4:31 | 7:53 |
| Jun | 16.3 | 4:04 | 8:28 |
| Jul | 15.9 | 4:22 | 8:21 |
| Aug | 14.4 | 5:07 | 7:32 |
| Sep | 12.4 | 5:58 | 6:22 |
| Oct | 10.4 | 6:50 | 5:12 |
| Nov | 8.6 | 7:45 | 4:17 |
| Dec | 7.7 | 8:24 | 4:00 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Swansea averages about 5 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 4 and 8 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 5.9 months, from around Mar 17 to Sep 12. The sunniest month is April, with roughly 7 sunny days (gloomy).
The greyest month is October, down near 4 sunny days — about 45% fewer than the April peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 4 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Sky | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Gloomy |
| Feb | 4 | Gloomy |
| Mar | 6 | Gloomy |
| Apr | 7 | Gloomy |
| May | 6 | Gloomy |
| Jun | 6 | Gloomy |
| Jul | 7 | Gloomy |
| Aug | 6 | Gloomy |
| Sep | 5 | Gloomy |
| Oct | 4 | Gloomy |
| Nov | 4 | Gloomy |
| Dec | 4 | Gloomy |
Humidity comfort
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 Swansea, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in August, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 11% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 98 | 79 | 46 | 45 | 69 | 88 | 99 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 48 | 43 | 28 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 98 | 2 | 0 |
| Jun | 79 | 20 | 1 |
| Jul | 46 | 48 | 7 |
| Aug | 45 | 43 | 11 |
| Sep | 69 | 28 | 3 |
| Oct | 88 | 12 | 0 |
| Nov | 99 | 1 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 | 0 |
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 Swansea is typically breezy, near 22 km/h, and varies moderately with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 5.7 months, from around Sep 27 to Mar 20. The windiest month is January, averaging about 26 km/h (breezy).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Mar 21 to Sep 26, with June the calmest month at about 18 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 26 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| Feels | breezy | breezy | breezy | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | breezy |
| Feb | 24 | breezy |
| Mar | 22 | breezy |
| Apr | 20 | light breeze |
| May | 19 | light breeze |
| Jun | 18 | light breeze |
| Jul | 18 | light breeze |
| Aug | 19 | light breeze |
| Sep | 21 | breezy |
| Oct | 24 | breezy |
| Nov | 25 | breezy |
| Dec | 26 | breezy |
Best time to visit Swansea
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Swansea throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around mid September, Swansea 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 Swansea for general outdoor tourist activities is from early June to late September, with a peak score in the last week of July.
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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 4.6 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 4.7 | 3.4 | 2.2 | 1.4 |
| Rating | poor | poor | poor | poor | fair | fair | fair | fair | fair | poor | poor | poor |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1.1 | poor |
| Feb | 1.1 | poor |
| Mar | 1.6 | poor |
| Apr | 2.5 | poor |
| May | 3.6 | fair |
| Jun | 4.6 | fair |
| Jul | 5.2 | fair |
| Aug | 5.2 | fair |
| Sep | 4.7 | fair |
| Oct | 3.4 | poor |
| Nov | 2.2 | poor |
| Dec | 1.4 | poor |
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 Swansea for hot-weather activities is from mid July to late August, with a peak score in the first week of August.
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 Swansea, by month
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 18°C), the essentials are rain gear. In the cold season around February (highs near 8°C), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat, rain gear and a windbreaker.
In August, Swansea sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 15°C. Pack rain gear. About 14 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Swansea
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 18°C and coldest in February 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) | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 10 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Bracing |
| Feb | 8 | Bracing |
| Mar | 8 | Bracing |
| Apr | 9 | Bracing |
| May | 11 | Bracing |
| Jun | 14 | Bracing |
| Jul | 16 | Cool |
| Aug | 18 | Cool |
| Sep | 17 | Cool |
| Oct | 15 | Cool |
| Nov | 12 | Bracing |
| Dec | 10 | Bracing |
UV index (midday) in Swansea by month
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 Swansea 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 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 | 7 | High |
| Sep | 4 | Moderate |
| Oct | 2 | Moderate |
| Nov | 1 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Average hourly UV index in Swansea
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 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 7 | 7 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 4.5 | 0 |
| May | 6.5 | 0 |
| Jun | 7.5 | 0 |
| Jul | 7 | 0 |
| Aug | 7 | 2 |
| Sep | 4.5 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Growing season
Swansea is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 97 | 97 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 98 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 97 | 0 |
| Feb | 97 | 0 |
| Mar | 99 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 98 | 0 |
Growing degree days
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. Swansea banks about 772 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around August.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 122 | 183 | 194 | 145 | 75 | 6 | 0 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 0 |
| Apr | 0 |
| May | 47 |
| Jun | 122 |
| Jul | 183 |
| Aug | 194 |
| Sep | 145 |
| Oct | 75 |
| Nov | 6 |
| Dec | 0 |
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.
Swansea receives about 3.1 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — moderate — with a clear seasonal swing between 0.6 and 5.6 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 5.9 months, from around Mar 23 to Sep 18. The brightest month is June, averaging about 5.6 kWh/m² (bright).
The dimmest month is December, down near 0.7 kWh/m² — roughly 88% less than the June peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 4.3 | 5.3 | 5.6 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| Level | Dim | Dim | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Dim | Dim | Dim |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.8 | Dim |
| Feb | 1.6 | Dim |
| Mar | 2.8 | Moderate |
| Apr | 4.3 | Bright |
| May | 5.3 | Bright |
| Jun | 5.6 | Bright |
| Jul | 5.3 | Bright |
| Aug | 4.5 | Bright |
| Sep | 3.2 | Moderate |
| Oct | 1.9 | Dim |
| Nov | 1.0 | Dim |
| Dec | 0.7 | Dim |
Where is Swansea?
Swansea sits at 51.6°N, 3.9°W, 18 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Clydach, 8.0 km away.
What Swansea looks like
Topography around Swansea
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Swansea.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Swansea has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 194 m around an average of 44 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 422 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 878 m.
The land around Swansea is covered by artificial surfaces (34%), water (32%) and trees (23%) within 3 km, water (35%), grassland (28%) and trees (26%) within 16 km, and grassland (46%) and water (35%) 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 Swansea (51.6208°, -3.9432°, elevation 18 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).