What to Wear in London
UK · 9 monthly packing guides
London is damp and variable, and the locals dress for it without sacrificing the look. Expect a lot of tailoring, a lot of boots, a lot of waterproofing disguised as something else. The city rewards a packable jacket.
Choose your month below to match your layers and shoes to the weather. Across the months covered, average daily lows reach 3°C / 37°F in January; average highs reach 24°C / 75°F in July.
Compare London by month
Monthly averages help compare packing needs; check the forecast before departure. Only months with published guides are listed. See the source notes below for station and measurement differences. Scroll across the table to see all weather details on a small screen.
| Month | Average low | Average high | Rain days | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January packing guide | 3°C / 37°F | 8°C / 46°F | 12 | 8h 20m |
| February packing guide | 3°C / 37°F | 9°C / 48°F | 10 | 10h 00m |
| May packing guide | 9°C / 48°F | 19°C / 66°F | 8 | 15h 30m |
| June packing guide | 12°C / 54°F | 21°C / 70°F | 8 | 16h 30m |
| July packing guide | 14°C / 57°F | 24°C / 75°F | 7 | 16h |
| August packing guide | 14°C / 57°F | 23°C / 73°F | 8 | 14h 30m |
| October packing guide | 9°C / 48°F | 16°C / 61°F | 11 | 10h 25m |
| November packing guide | 5°C / 41°F | 12°C / 54°F | 18 | 8h 55m |
| December packing guide | 3°C / 37°F | 9°C / 48°F | 11 | 7h 50m |
Choose your London packing list
London in January: 8°C / 46°F afternoons, 3°C / 37°F nights, rain on about 12 days, and department-store sales that run to mid-January.
In this capsule: Forest-green diamond-quilted jacket, corduroy collar; Heather-grey ribbed zip-front knit, baseball collar; Navy cotton button-down with a fine white stripe.
London in February: 9°C / 48°F afternoons, 3°C / 37°F nights, rain on about 10 days, and England at home to France and Italy at Twickenham.
In this capsule: Olive waxed-cotton jacket, brown corduroy collar; Oatmeal cable-knit wool crew neck; Cream merino long-sleeve base layer.
London in May: 19°C / 66°F afternoons, 9°C / 48°F mornings — a 10°C / 18°F daily swing — with 8 rain days of persistent light drizzle.
In this capsule: Waterproof trench coat (classic British); Merino or cotton knit sweater; Breton stripe or simple long-sleeve tee.
London in June: 21°C / 70°F afternoons, 12°C / 54°F mornings, 8 rain days, 16.5 hours of daylight — sunsets past 9pm.
In this capsule: Light blue denim jacket; Cream and red cotton midi dress; White ruffle puff-sleeve blouse.
London in July: 24°C / 75°F afternoons, 14°C / 57°F mornings, 7 rain days, 209 sunshine hours — warmest, driest, sunniest month.
In this capsule: Rust linen wrap midi dress; Short-sleeve white linen camp shirt; Wide-leg cotton trousers.
London in August needs light clothes, one warm layer and a rain plan in the same bag.
In this capsule: Cream linen midi shirtdress; Bubble-gum pink cotton maxi dress; Cream open-front knit cardigan.
London in October: 15.7°C / 60°F afternoons, 8.8°C / 48°F nights, 11 rain days — and just 3.5 hours of sun a day.
In this capsule: Water-resistant mac in stone or navy; Black leather Chelsea boots; Compact umbrella.
London in November: 12°C / 54°F days, 5°C / 41°F nights, and 18 rain days — the wettest month of the year here.
In this capsule: Navy cotton-gabardine trench, knee length, belted; Pale slate hooded packable rain shell; Burgundy lambswool crew knit.
London in December: 8.8°C / 48°F afternoons, 3.1°C / 38°F nights, and under two hours of sun a day — sunset before four.
In this capsule: Waterproof wool-blend coat, knee length; Merino base layer; Heavy knit or lambswool jumper.
Climate sources by month
These credits follow the source recorded on each monthly guide. Climate figures inform the packing advice; outfit combinations and illustrations are editorial suggestions.
- January: UK Met Office · Heathrow · 1991–2020 normalscomputed from the Met Office's historic monthly station data for Heathrow; the count of days with 1mm or more is NOAA NCEI's, from its 03772099999 global-summary-of-the-day record, because the Met Office file has no rain-day column. Recorded per month because London's May–October pages read Greenwich Park.
- February: UK Met Office · Heathrow · 1991–2020 normalscomputed from the Met Office's historic monthly station data for Heathrow; the count of days with 1mm or more is NOAA NCEI's, from its 03772099999 global-summary-of-the-day record, because the Met Office file has no rain-day column. Recorded per month because London's May–October pages read Greenwich Park.
- May: UK Met Office · Greenwich Park · 1991–2020 normals
- June: UK Met Office · Greenwich Park · 1991–2020 normals
- July: UK Met Office · Greenwich Park · 1991–2020 normals
- August: UK Met Office · Greenwich Park · 1991–2020 normals
- October: UK Met Office · Greenwich Park · 1991–2020 normals
- November: NOAA NCEI · Heathrow · 1991–2020 normalsthe Met Office operates the station; NOAA NCEI computed this month's figures from its 03772099999 global-summary-of-the-day record. Recorded per month because the rest of this city's pages are sourced differently.
- December: UK Met Office · Heathrow · 1991–2020 normals
Frequently asked questions
Start with your travel month. The 9 published guides cover January, February, May, June, July, August, October, November, December. Compare the average low as well as the high: among these months, January has the lowest average low at 3°C / 37°F, while July has the highest average high at 24°C / 75°F. For a trip spanning two months, read both lists before deciding which layers to bring.
No. They are monthly climate averages for planning, not temperatures promised for a particular day or hour. Check the local forecast close to departure and adjust your layers and rain protection. The source, station and averaging period are listed for each month where recorded; different stations or rain-day definitions can affect comparisons.
No. Treat the capsule as a set of clothing functions: walking shoes, a base outfit, weather protection and any change for dinner or a venue's dress code. Start with equivalents you own. Adjust quantities to your trip length and laundry access; the illustrations are outfit suggestions, not a shopping requirement.