Buxton Weather : A Guide to Every Month and Season

Buxton, situated in the heart of the Peak District, is known for its cool and often unpredictable weather. Due to its high elevation, it tends to be one of the coldest towns in England, with Buxton weather bringing us cooler temperatures year-round compared to surrounding areas. Winters can bring frost, snow, and crisp air, while summers are generally mild with occasional warm spells. Rainfall is fairly frequent, contributing to the lush greenery that surrounds the town. Despite the weather, we love it here don’t we?!

Monthly Weather Averages for Buxton, UK

Notable Weather Events in Buxton

January 2025: One of the Coldest Nights Recorded

On Friday morning 10th January 2025, The Met Office Climatological Station, located on The Slopes in Buxton, recorded an Air Minimum Temperature – inside a standard ventilated cabinet (a “Stevenson Screen”) of an overnight low of -8.7°C; out on the grass nearby, a Grass Tip Temperature of -13.8°C.

Understanding the Stevenson Screen

Air Temperature is measured inside a standard ventilated cabinet – a Stevensen Screen. This is about 2 metres off the ground – at head height; this is to ensure that the temperatures are a good comparison with other calibrated Met Office sites across the UK – and indeed this standard is used all across the World.

Purpose and Design of the Stevenson Screen

It is in the screen, so that temperatures are not unduly affected by surroundings or reflected heat from tarmac or concrete etc. Ground level “Grass Temperature” (measured by a thermometer on the ground, just touching the grass or snow) is often lower than air temperatures – cold air is more dense so it sinks to the ground and displaces the warmer air upwards.

The Stevensen Screen containing some of the instruments the team use, was designed in 1864 by Thomas Stevensen, a Sottish civil engineer, Father of author Robert Louis Stevensen.

Records dating back to 1850

Th weather station has daily readings dating back to 1850 for the Met Office Slopes site – previous colder nights were -10.7C on 4th January 2010, -11C on 8th January 1987, -13.6C on 28th January 1979, -13.9 on 27th January 1945, -15.9 on 13th February 1902, -17.1 on 7th March 1886 -18.3 on 21st January 1940 and a record breaking -18.9 on 12th December 1882 !

Storm Bert brings havoc in 2024

In late November 2024 Storm Bert caused widespread flooding in the UK. It was a particularly bad storm, though just one of the increasing number of storms to hit the UK in recent years. These pages include videos explaining why warming temperatures leads to increasingly heavy rainfall and arial views of the devastatio

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Heatwave – new record temperature for Buxton and UK in 2022

The heatwave in 2022 gave Buxton and the UK its hottest day on record! With Buxton Weather recording a temperature of 35.9c at around 2.24pm, on 19th July 2022, recorded at the official Met Office Weather Station on the The Slopes.

The hottest day ever in Derbyshire was also recorded that year, according to a Weather station located in Chaddeston, with a temperature of 36c. The previous highest temperature in Derbyshire was in 1911 at 35 degrees.

Warmest night ever in UK?

The Met Office also said that year saw the warmest night on record in the UK on 18th / 19th July, with temperatures not falling below 25c in places, exceeding the previous high of 23.9c in Brighton, England on 3rd August 1990.

Met Office also confirmed new record for the UK hottest ever day

The UK also broke records with its hottest ever day on 19th July that year in Coningsby in Lincolnshire when the mercury hit 40.3C at 4pm at the that day, the highest UK temperature ever recorded. Closely followed with 40.2 recorded in at Heathrow.

The hottest temperature previously recorded in the UK was 38.7, in Cambridge University Botanical Gardens, England in July 2019 beating the previous record of 38.5C in Faversham in August 2003.

What caused the UK heatwave in 2022? Is it climate change?

The heatwave in 2022 was caused by the Jet Stream – a fast moving ribbon of air which moves across the Northern Hemisphere across the Atlantic Ocean and west of the British Isles and Ireland.

When the jet stream dips south, polar air fills in the trough, bringing heavy rains and cooler-than-usual temperatures, which happened across much of the United States that year, with a record-late arrival of spring and above-average precipitation. When the jet stream bulges northward, warmer air rushes into the ridge, leading to hot, dry conditions, as has happened with the heatwave Europe in 2022. Seasonal variations are expected but since the early 2000s as the planet has warmed, the jet stream has been behaving strangely.

The jet stream appeared to have slowed down and become more ‘wavey’ and when it slows down or gets stuck, high or low pressure weather systems caused by the jet stream are lasting unusually much longer and periods of intense weather are stretched out and intensified. Only time will tell is this becomes more of a norm over the years.

Storm Arwen November 2021

Storm Arwen brought severe winds across the UK overnight 26th to 27 th November 2021, with the Met Office issuing a red warning for wind. The developing storm, tracking south to the north-east of the UK, brought northerly winds gusting widely at over 60Kt (69mph). The highest gust speed was 85Kt (98mph) at Brizlee Wood, Northumberland. This was one of the most powerful and damaging winter storms of the latest decade.

Freak Snow in Buxton in 1975 Stopped a Cricket Match

On 2nd June 1975, a cricket match between Derbyshire and Lancashire, had to be postponed due to a freak snow storm.

Artic winds swept the UK

Arctic winds roared across the UK that day, bringing a bitter chill more typical of deep winter than early summer. Temperatures plummeted to -3.3°C (26°F) at Gleneagles in Perthshire, while sleet was reported as far south as Portsmouth. Though snow quickly melted across southern Britain, it lingered for several days in parts of Scotland.

Then followed by a heatwave!

Yet, the snowfall on 2 June may not have been such a shock, given the unusually cold May that preceded it. Just days later, on 6 June, the weather took an astonishing turn as a heatwave set in.

This dramatic shift marked the beginning of a long, hot summer – foreshadowing the record-breaking heat and drought of the legendary summer of 1976.

Buxton Weather – A Guide to Every Month and Season

Trying to predict the weather pattern of anywhere in the United Kingdom can be like trying to predict the roll of a dice. This is especially true of the highest market town in England.

Being a thousand feet (300m) above sea level, Buxton seems to have its own microclimate. Notoriously unpredictable, an inch of snow once stopped a match between Derbyshire and Lancashire on Buxton Cricket Ground in June 1975.

A guide to Buxton weather probably could be summarised in one sentence: Expect the unexpected!

When people say Buxton is famous for its water, they usually mean the mineral-rich thermal spring that bubbles from the ground and gets bottled up to sell, not the other stuff that falls from the sky.

Like the mystical mountain kingdom of Shangri-La with more sheep and flat caps, Buxton seems to spend a lot of time getting damp in the clouds. However, this is part of its charm and you should not let the showers deter you; there are many reasons to visit Buxton.

But when is a good time? There are a few general rules of thumb. If the last ten years are anything to go by, you’re more likely to get a sun tan in May than you are in August; although May 2021 was the wettest on record, so please take this guide with a pinch of grit.

January and February

As established, it can snow any time in Buxton but Jack Frost usually favours January and February. Statistically, you’re more likely to get a white Valentine’s Day than a white Christmas. Older residents of Buxton often say we don’t get winters like we used to and recount tales of monstrous snow drifts and being cut off for weeks. These days, it can still only take a few inches of snow to isolate the town from the rest of the world, due to the roads that wind through the hills to get here.

Fortunately, modern Buxtonians have the opportunity to fight back with the aid of the internet. Local weather website run by Michael Hilton offers people the opportunity to update information on the conditions of the highways. That’s not to say this isn’t a good time of year to visit Buxton. The white stuff makes the town look pretty and there’s a selection of cosy pubs, restaurants and hotels to warm up after your amble. You could even recover with some spa treatment. It worked for the Romans.

March and April

This time of year conjures images of Spring; flowers blossoming, birds singing, hares frolicking across the meadows. Unfortunately, Winter often outstays its welcome in this part of the world and Spring feels like that friend who’s always late. By Easter, the people of Buxton can still be shivering and wondering when they can hang up their big coats for a while.

If we’re very lucky, the earliest signs of a warmer, drier season will begin to appear towards the end of April and the population will step out tentatively, gazing mole-like up at the sun, like a celestial event they’ve never before witnessed. Of equal magnificence is the emergence of the bluebells of Corbar Woods.

May and June

Over the last decade, May and June have proved to be the best months to be outdoors for enjoying Buxton weather, like Spring and Summer rolled into one. May 2020 was one of the hottest on record and let’s be honest, it helped to get us through the first covid-19 pandemic lockdown.

As well as receiving that overdue dose of vitamin D, you can witness the wooded landscape around Buxton grow green and beautiful. We can only ponder why Buxton usually gets its pleasant weather early. One could suggest climate change but there’s evidence over the ages to support that it’s always been the case.

July and August

So what happens in actual summer? Does Buxton enjoy warm and dry conditions to accompany its famous festivals? The answer is yes but weirdly, there’s also a good chance of a downpour so don’t forget your brolly. As a fellow resident put it to me recently “you know when the schools break up for summer, it’s gonna start tipping it down”. Although it isn’t quite that straightforward, there does seem to be a tradition of soggy summers in Buxton.

In his book Buxton Under the Dukes of Devonshire, R. Grundy Heape describes the August weather in 1880 with some frankness:

The wet and cold were sufficient to give people rheumatism who knew not the agony of its aches. The shopkeepers lost money instead of making it, for the visitors were not able to stir out of their rooms, or if to stir, it was to take an express train home. The carriage drivers were in despair, and the Bath-Chair men were on the verge of committing suicide in their own perambulators.

September and October

Although the year is starting to get a little long in the tooth, Autumn is not a bad time to visit Buxton. The temperature tends to stay in double figures and the umbrella is less required and Buxton’s Autumnal foliage offer a warming glow of yellows and oranges.

Attractions such as Poole’s Cavern, Pavilion Gardens, Buxton Museum and the Opera House stay open all year round and tourists without children can enjoy the relative peace and quiet, not to mention cheaper hotel prices. As the leaves begin to fall, the highest market town in England becomes infused with an ambient majesty.

November and December

Towards the end of the year, conditions get noticeably less ambient and majestic. By Bonfire Night, the renowned rain has usually returned and getting anything lit is a challenge. Snow in November is not uncommon.

However, if you’re looking for unusual Christmas presents, Buxton is home to countless independent shops and still worth a visit. Just wrap up warm!

Conclusion

So when is the best time to visit Buxton? The answer to that question rather relies on what you’re looking for and possibly the famous Buxton weather. May and June are fairly safe bets for outdoor pursuits or even September and October. The town really comes to life in late July and early August with the advent of the arts festivals but the heavens can really open up. Winters are harsh but the landscape remains breathtaking, as long as you’re dressed for the occasion. We look forward to seeing you…