The Climate of Teignmouth

Teignmouth is situated on the south coast of Devon on the tapering peninsula of south-west England. It enjoys a mild maritime climate which compares favourably with locations on the northern shore of the Mediterranean Sea though with considerably more rainfall and less sunshine! With prevailing winds across SW England from the west, Teignmouth lies in the lee of Dartmoor and enjoys mean temperatures 3-4 degrees warmer with less than half the rainfall of Princetown in the high moor.

The table below sourced from the Met Office shows 1991-2020 averages from the Teignmouth Climate Station on Teignmouth Den by the sea front. Compared to other low lying inland areas of southern England Teignmouth enjoys milder winters with less frost and snow and cooler summers due to the close proximity of the sea. Typically in Britain January is the coldest month, but because sea temperatures usually reach their minimum in late February, February is usually the coldest month. Whereas many Midland areas experience their first air frost as early as September, the first air frost in Teignmouth is typically in late November or even early December.

Snow is rarely seen before the New Year. Late autumn and early winter is the wettest time of the year. Sea temperatures are still relatively high, and deep Atlantic depressions bring moisture laden air across the region. July is on average the driest month, but summer thunderstorms can occasionally deposit more than the month's mean rainfall in one day. In Martinstown in Dorset, the largest 24 hour rainfall figure in Britain of 279.4mm was recorded on 18th July 1955.

Sunshine totals reflect not only the hours of daylight but also the fluctuations of the Azores high, which is most powerful in summer. Teignmouth enjoys average daily sunshine totals of over 7 hours in summer and around 2 in the depths of winter.

Teignmouth Climate Station averages 1991-2020 sourced from the Met Office