Average Monthly Sunshine in Durham

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

Monthly hours of sunshine

Seasonal sunshine in Durham varies. It peaks at 192 hours in May and drops to 53 hours in December. The total annual amount of sun is 1528 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 6.4 hours of sunshine daily. In contrast, the city experiences much darker days in December, with only 1.8 hours of sunlight per day.

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

Durham enjoys an average of 1528 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.

Manchester, UK, experiences just around 1420 hours of sunshine annually.

Meanwhile, Buenos Aires, Argentina, enjoys a humid subtropical climate with 2520 hours of sunshine annually.

Perth, Australia, enjoys 3180 hours of sunshine annually, the highest among major Australian cities.

Other climate information

August, Durham’s wettest month, receives 73 mm of rainfall and has a maximum daytime temperature of 20°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 Durham Precipitation page.