Whitby weather by month
The best time to visit Whitby is May, July and August — 82/100 in August, 20°C and 11 rainy days. The best season is summer, June to August (79/100 on average).
The worst month is December at 35/100 — cold, rainy, clean air. See December →
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
Planning the wider trip? Best time to visit United Kingdom →
Best season: June to August (79/100 on average) · worst December (35/100)
- Days
- 20°C
- Nights
- 13°C
- Wet days
- 11
- Sun
- 10.7 h
- Humidity
- 79%
- Daylight
- 15 h

Whitby, month by month
Comfort score out of 100 for the kind of trip Whitby is best for, the average high, rainy days and hours of sun a day from the climate normals, and how busy it tends to be.
What's on in Whitby through the year
Festivals, natural spectacles, holidays and the seasons to watch out for — curated and sourced. The month pages carry the detail.
- February
- Dark Skies Festival13 Feb – 1 MarFestival
- March
- Easter bank holidays3–6 AprHoliday
- April
- Whitby Goth Weekend, spring1–3 MayFestival
- June
- Robin Hood's Bay Folk Weekend5–7 JunFestival
- July
- Peak summer on the harbour20 Jul – 1 SepHoliday
- August
- Whitby Regatta7–12 Aug (usually)Festival
- Whitby Folk Week19–28 Aug (usually)Festival
- October
- Whitby Goth Weekend, autumn30 Oct – 1 NovFestival
- Whitby Abbey Illuminated20 Oct – 2 Nov (usually)Opening
- December
- Whitby Krampus Run1–8 Dec (usually)Festival
- Christmas and Boxing Day24–28 DecHoliday
- Museums shut for winter1 Dec – 7 Feb (usually)Closure
Crowds in Whitby in August
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
Peak crowdstravelers describe it as peak season, Peak summer on the harbour, Whitby Regatta
Sourced from traveler notes: “August is peak season in Whitby and the forum is emphatic: absolutely heaving, es…” — Tripadvisor community
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Traveller notes on Whitby
What people who have been say about the place — the year-round notes first, then month by month.
Forum posters describe February in Whitby as a bit chilly, overcast and foggy, though still enjoyable for a visit. Posters consistently note the town stays quieter than summer but only a little cooler, with most shops remaining open and plenty to do despite the reduced crowds. Posters describe February's daylight as steadily lengthening through the month, with dusk arriving around 5pm early on and pushing later as the month progresses. Posters generally recommend embracing the quieter, moodier coastal atmosphere as part of February's appeal rather than a drawback. Posters generally rate February as cool, gray and often foggy but genuinely pleasant for a low-key Whitby visit.
August is peak season in Whitby and the forum is emphatic: absolutely heaving, especially once the North Yorkshire school holidays start, with parking a nightmare and restaurant tables hard to come by. Most self-catering lets go by the whole week, Friday to Friday or Saturday to Saturday. On weather, the coastal caveat matters — a north-easterly off the sea can drop the temperature by as much as 8°C compared with inland, against an August average of only 18°C here and a sea at 15. One visitor reports 27°C days, so it does happen. The regulars' honest line is that Whitby is lovely and better outside peak season.
Add your own note from Whitby's card on the map.