Southampton Sunshine Hours by Month

Sunshine is key to understanding how a place experiences its seasons. This page shows the total number of hours of direct sunlight per month and the average hours per day in Southampton, Hampshire, United Kingdom. The numbers reflect climate data gathered over a 30-year period, from 1990 to 2020.

Monthly hours of sunshine

Those who love seasonal contrasts will appreciate Southampton. Expect long, bright days with 222 hours in July and darker periods with just 54 hours in December. The total annual amount of sun is 1694 hours.

Daily hours of sunshine

Seasonal changes in sunshine hours are quite obvious in Southampton. While July receives considerable daily sunshine with up to 7.4 hours, December marks the darkest time of the year, where sunshine is scarce with only 1.8 hours of sunlight per day.

Average percent of sunshine

On average the sun shines 47% of the time during the day in July, the highest percentage of any month. December has the lowest percentage at 16%.

Southampton enjoys an average of 1694 hours of sunshine annually. Let’s compare this with some popular tourist destinations:

In Lisbon, Portugal, there are approximately 2801 hours of sunshine annually, highlighting its warm and sunny Mediterranean climate.

In contrast, Tromsø , Norway, receives only about 1270 hours of sunshine per year, known for the polar night with no sunlight for weeks during winter.

In Chicago, USA, the annual sunshine averages 2520 hours, contributing to its humid continental climate.

Melbourne, Australia, has 2380 hours of sunshine annually, with its famous “four seasons in a day” weather pattern.

November, Southampton’s wettest month, receives 60 mm (2.4 in) of rainfall and has a maximum daytime temperature of 12°C (54°F). During the driest month March you can expect a temperature of 12°C (54°F).

For more detailed insights into the city’s temperatures, check out our Temperature page. To explore more about precipitation patterns, visit our Southampton Precipitation page.