Average Monthly Sunshine in Belfast

The graphs on this page shows the average number of hours per month and per day that Belfast receives direct sunlight. The numbers are calculated over a 30-year period to provide a reliable average.

Monthly hours of sunshine

Sunshine in Belfast varies greatly throughout the year. The sunniest month, May, reaches an impressive 184 hours, while December, the darkest month, offers only 39 hours. The total annual amount of sun is 1297 hours.

Daily hours of sunshine

This means the city can be enjoyed more throughout the sunniest month of May under a blue sky, with approximately 6.1 hours of sunshine daily. In contrast, the city experiences much darker days in December, with only 1.3 hours of sunlight per day.

Belfast’s total hours of sunshine compared to other major cities

Belfast enjoys an average of 1297 hours of sunshine annually. Let’s compare this with some popular tourist destinations:

In Barcelona, Spain, there are 2530 hours of sunshine annually and is a city that can be visited year-round.

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.

Oslo, Norway, receives approximately 1690 hours of sunshine annually.

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

Other climate information

October, Belfast’s wettest month, receives 93 mm of rainfall and has a maximum daytime temperature of 14°C. During the driest month March you can expect a temperature of 10°C.

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