January in St Ives: expect compromises
Hardest · 2.9/10January averages 8°C (47°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
Rainfall runs 98 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get about 9 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 8.6 hours of daylight.
It scores 2.9/10 here, 10th of 12 months, against 6/10 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 packable rain layer.
Flexible dates? August scores 3.1 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
February in St Ives: expect compromises
Hardest · 3.4/10February averages 9°C (49°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
Rainfall runs 96 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get about 12 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 10.1 hours of daylight.
It scores 3.4/10 here, 9th of 12 months, against 6/10 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 packable rain layer.
Flexible dates? August scores 2.6 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
March in St Ives — the hardest end of the year
Hardest · 4.3/10Expect 9°C (49°F) in March. A good month for city streets, viewpoints and long meals; leave swimming for another season.
130 mm of rain makes this a wet month here, though with about 21 days with 6+ hours of sunshine there is still bright weather between the fronts.
That is 4.3/10 on the same scale — 7th of 12 months, versus 6/10 for the best month here.
Expect mid-season pricing, and crowds are moderate.
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 St Ives — 1.7 points higher on the same scale.
April in St Ives — middling scores, decent value
Trade-offs · 5.1/10April averages 10°C (50°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
Rainfall runs 90 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get about 23 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 13.8 hours of daylight.
It scores 5.1/10 here, 5th of 12 months, against 6/10 in the destination's best month.
Plan for mid-season pricing, with crowds are moderate.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a packable rain layer.
May in St Ives — middling scores, decent value
Trade-offs · 5.4/10Temperatures hover around 13°C (55°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
Budget for roughly 68 mm of rain this month — a flexible day or two helps — with about 29 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 15.5 hours of daylight to work around it.
That is 5.4/10 on the same scale — 4th of 12 months, versus 6/10 for the best month here.
Budget for 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.
June in St Ives — workable with trade-offs
Trade-offs · 5.7/10June averages 15°C (59°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
Rainfall runs 60 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get about 27 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 16.3 hours of daylight.
It scores 5.7/10 here, 2nd of 12 months, against 6/10 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.
July in St Ives — middling scores, decent value
Trade-offs · 5.5/10July averages 16°C (62°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
Monthly rainfall reaches 102 mm — wet for this destination — but about 26 days with 6+ hours of sunshine still break through, so keep one indoor fallback in the plan.
It scores 5.5/10 here, 3rd of 12 months, against 6/10 in the destination's best month.
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 proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
August: the best month of the year in St Ives
Best window · 6/10Temperatures hover around 17°C (63°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
Budget for roughly 97 mm of rain this month — a flexible day or two helps — with about 26 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 14.4 hours of daylight to work around it.
On our climate-comfort scale this is the top-ranked month of the year for St Ives at 6/10 — the reference point every other month on this page is measured against.
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.
September in St Ives — workable with trade-offs
Trade-offs · 5.1/10Temperatures hover around 16°C (61°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
112 mm of rain makes this a wet month here, though with about 23 days with 6+ hours of sunshine there is still bright weather between the fronts.
That is 5.1/10 on the same scale — 6th of 12 months, versus 6/10 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 proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
October in St Ives — off-season conditions
Hardest · 4/10October averages 14°C (57°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
At 123 mm this is a genuinely wet month: about 19 days with 6+ hours of sunshine in total, and outdoor plans need an indoor fallback.
It scores 4/10 here, 8th of 12 months, against 6/10 in the destination's best month.
Plan for low-season pricing, with 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.
Flexible dates? August scores 2 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
November in St Ives — the hardest end of the year
Hardest · 2.7/10November averages 11°C (53°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
At 156 mm this is a genuinely wet month: about 13 days with 6+ hours of sunshine in total, and outdoor plans need an indoor fallback.
It scores 2.7/10 here, 11th of 12 months, against 6/10 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 3.3 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
December in St Ives — off-season conditions
Hardest · 2.6/10Expect 9°C (49°F) in December. A good month for city streets, viewpoints and long meals; leave swimming for another season.
118 mm of rain signals a properly wet month, with only about 9 days with 6+ hours of sunshine to count on — build indoor options into the schedule.
That is 2.6/10 on the same scale — 12th of 12 months, versus 6/10 for the best month here.
Expect 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 St Ives — 3.4 points higher on the same scale.
