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 →

Whitby🇬🇧 United Kingdom · British Isles · Beach82
  1. 38Jan
  2. 47Feb
  3. 57Mar
  4. 71Apr
  5. 78May
  6. 76Jun
  7. 80Jul
  8. 82Aug
  9. 69Sep
  10. 55Oct
  11. 43Nov
  12. 35Dec

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, United Kingdom
Photo: Igor Passchier · Pexels

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.

MonthScoreTierHighRainSunCrowdsOn
Jan38F7°C13 d4 hBusy1
Feb47F8°C13 d6 hBusy2
Mar57D10°C13 d7 hShoulder2
Apr71B11°C10 d10 hPeak2
May78B14°C10 d11 hPeak1
Jun76B18°C11 d12 hPeak1
Jul80A20°C13 d11 hPeak1
Aug82A20°C11 d11 hPeak3
Sep69C17°C12 d8 hBusy1
Oct55D14°C15 d6 hPeak2
Nov43F10°C15 d4 hBusy2
Dec35F9°C15 d3 hPeak3

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

Everything on in Whitby through the year →

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

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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.
Tripadvisor community · February · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
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.
Tripadvisor community · August · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗

Add your own note from Whitby's card on the map.