January in Cornwall — off-season conditions
Hardest · 1.6/10Expect 8°C (47°F) in January. A good month for city streets, viewpoints and long meals; leave swimming for another season.
Budget for roughly 100 mm of rain this month — a flexible day or two helps — with almost no days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 8.3 hours of daylight to work around it.
That is 1.6/10 on the same scale — 8th of 12 months, versus 6.4/10 for the best month here.
Expect mid-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a packable rain layer.
If your dates are flexible, August is materially better in Cornwall — 4.8 points higher on the same scale.
February in Cornwall — the hardest end of the year
Hardest · 1.3/10Expect 9°C (48°F) in February. A good month for city streets, viewpoints and long meals; leave swimming for another season.
120 mm of rain signals a properly wet month, with only almost no days with 6+ hours of sunshine to count on — build indoor options into the schedule.
That is 1.3/10 on the same scale — 10th of 12 months, versus 6.4/10 for the best month here.
Budget for low-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
If your dates are flexible, August is materially better in Cornwall — 5.1 points higher on the same scale.
March in Cornwall: expect compromises
Hardest · 2/10March averages 9°C (48°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
At 120 mm this is a genuinely wet month: about 4 days with 6+ hours of sunshine in total, and outdoor plans need an indoor fallback.
It scores 2/10 here, 7th of 12 months, against 6.4/10 in the destination's best month.
Figure on low-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
Flexible dates? August scores 4.4 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
April in Cornwall — the hardest end of the year
Hardest · 4.1/10Expect 10°C (51°F) in April. A good month for city streets, viewpoints and long meals; leave swimming for another season.
Budget for roughly 80 mm of rain this month — a flexible day or two helps — with about 14 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 13.5 hours of daylight to work around it.
That is 4.1/10 on the same scale — 5th of 12 months, versus 6.4/10 for the best month here.
Budget for mid-season pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a packable rain layer.
If your dates are flexible, August is materially better in Cornwall — 2.3 points higher on the same scale.
May in Cornwall — workable with trade-offs
Trade-offs · 5.5/10May averages 13°C (56°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
Rainfall runs 62 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get about 26 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 15.2 hours of daylight.
It scores 5.5/10 here, 4th of 12 months, against 6.4/10 in the destination's best month.
Plan for mid-season pricing, with crowds are moderate.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a packable rain layer.
June in Cornwall — middling scores, decent value
Trade-offs · 6.1/10Temperatures hover around 16°C (60°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
Budget for roughly 50 mm of rain this month — a flexible day or two helps — with about 28 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 16.2 hours of daylight to work around it.
That is 6.1/10 on the same scale — 2nd of 12 months, versus 6.4/10 for the best month here.
Expect mid-season pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a packable rain layer.
July in Cornwall: mixed conditions, plan around the weather
Trade-offs · 6/10Temperatures hover around 17°C (62°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
Budget for roughly 84 mm of rain this month — a flexible day or two helps — with about 24 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 15.8 hours of daylight to work around it.
That is 6/10 on the same scale — 3rd of 12 months, versus 6.4/10 for the best month here.
Budget for peak pricing, and this is one of the busiest months here. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a packable rain layer.
August in Cornwall tops the year's climate scores
Best window · 6.4/10August averages 18°C (64°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
Rainfall runs 63 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get about 19 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 14.3 hours of daylight.
On our climate-comfort scale this is the top-ranked month of the year for Cornwall at 6.4/10 — the reference point every other month on this page is measured against.
Figure on peak pricing, with this is one of the busiest months here. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a packable rain layer.
September in Cornwall — off-season conditions
Hardest · 3.3/10September averages 16°C (61°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
At 109 mm this is a genuinely wet month: about 7 days with 6+ hours of sunshine in total, and outdoor plans need an indoor fallback.
It scores 3.3/10 here, 6th of 12 months, against 6.4/10 in the destination's best month.
Figure on mid-season pricing, with crowds are moderate.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
Flexible dates? August scores 3.1 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
October in Cornwall — off-season conditions
Hardest · 1.4/10Temperatures hover around 14°C (58°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
123 mm of rain signals a properly wet month, with only almost no days with 6+ hours of sunshine to count on — build indoor options into the schedule.
That is 1.4/10 on the same scale — 9th of 12 months, versus 6.4/10 for the best month here.
Budget for low-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
If your dates are flexible, August is materially better in Cornwall — 5 points higher on the same scale.
November in Cornwall — off-season conditions
Hardest · 0.8/10Expect 12°C (53°F) in November. A good month for city streets, viewpoints and long meals; leave swimming for another season.
162 mm of rain signals a properly wet month, with only almost no days with 6+ hours of sunshine to count on — build indoor options into the schedule.
That is 0.8/10 on the same scale — 12th of 12 months, versus 6.4/10 for the best month here.
Budget for low-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
If your dates are flexible, August is materially better in Cornwall — 5.6 points higher on the same scale.
December in Cornwall — off-season conditions
Hardest · 1/10December averages 9°C (49°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
At 134 mm this is a genuinely wet month: almost no days with 6+ hours of sunshine in total, and outdoor plans need an indoor fallback.
It scores 1/10 here, 11th of 12 months, against 6.4/10 in the destination's best month.
Plan for low-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
Flexible dates? August scores 5.4 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
