Wedding Planning
The Driest Places (and Months) to Get Married in the UK
The driest place in the UK is usually given as St Osyth in Essex, which averages around 500 mm of rain a year, and East Anglia is the driest region overall. The wettest are the western uplands. For a UK wedding, the east and south-east give the best odds, and April to August is generally drier than autumn and winter.
By the Weather Witch team · Updated October 4, 2026 · 6 min read
Key facts
- St Osyth in Essex is often cited as the driest place in the UK, with average annual rainfall of around 500 mm.
- East Anglia is the driest region of the UK, with many areas receiving less than 600 mm of rain a year.
- London receives just under 650 mm of rain a year on average, less than Rome, Sydney or New York City.
- Parts of Snowdonia receive between 3,000 and 5,000 mm of rain a year, making north-west Wales one of the wettest areas in the UK.
- In ERA5 data for 2015 to 2024, April was the month with the fewest rain days in London, the Cotswolds and Edinburgh.
The driest place in the UK is usually named as St Osyth in Essex, with average rainfall of only around 500 mm a year, and East Anglia is the driest region overall. According to the Wikipedia summary of the climate of East Anglia, many places there get less than 600 mm of rain a year. The wettest parts of the UK are the western uplands: Snowdonia, the Lake District and the western Highlands, where some places get several times as much.
For a wedding, that means two simple levers: choose a venue in the east or south-east if you can, and choose a month in spring or summer rather than autumn or winter. This guide gives the details, with our own rain data for three popular UK wedding destinations.
Where is the driest part of the UK?
The driest part of the UK is the east and south-east of England, especially Essex, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and the Thames estuary. The table gives typical average annual rainfall, from well-known climate averages:
| Area | Typical annual rainfall | Why |
|---|---|---|
| St Osyth, Essex | about 500 mm | The far east of the rain shadow, on the North Sea coast |
| East Anglia (Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire) | often under 600 mm | Shielded from Atlantic rain by hills to the west |
| London | just under 650 mm | Less rain a year than Rome, Sydney or New York City |
| Most of southern and south-east England | under 700 mm | Drier and sunnier than the west |
| Snowdonia, north-west Wales | 3,000 to 5,000 mm | Mountains force moist Atlantic air upward |
The reason is the westerly wind. Most British rain comes from Atlantic weather systems moving east. The hills of the south-west, Wales, Cumbria and Scotland squeeze much of the moisture out before the air reaches the east, leaving a rain shadow over East Anglia and the south-east.
Is Essex the driest county in England?
Essex is usually described as the driest county in England, thanks to St Osyth and the dry coastal strip around Clacton and Colchester. In very dry years, parts of north-east Essex and south Suffolk have recorded totals below 450 mm. Cambridgeshire and Suffolk run it close.
What is the driest month in the UK?
The driest months in the UK are generally in spring and early summer, from about April to July, while autumn and winter are clearly wetter. April and May are often the driest on average for the UK as a whole, and the period from October to January is the wettest, when Atlantic storms are most frequent.
There is no "dry season" in Britain, though. Even in the driest month, around one day in three brings some rain in many places. Planning for a shower is part of any UK wedding.
Rain odds for London, the Cotswolds and Edinburgh
We pulled ERA5 reanalysis data for 2015 to 2024 from the Open-Meteo historical archive for three of the UK's most popular wedding destinations. A rain day here means at least 1 mm of rain. Reanalysis data is modeled on a grid, so the totals differ slightly from individual weather station averages, but it is excellent for comparing months and places.
| Month | London rain days | Cotswolds rain days | Edinburgh rain days |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | 32% | 35% | 39% |
| May | 36% | 38% | 42% |
| June | 36% | 38% | 47% |
| July | 35% | 42% | 54% |
| August | 31% | 41% | 48% |
| September | 37% | 40% | 42% |
| October | 38% | 41% | 48% |
What stands out:
- April is the driest month in all three places by number of rain days, and it is also the month with the least rain in total. It is cool, though: average highs of about 14°C in London and 11°C in Edinburgh.
- London stays fairly even from April to September, at roughly one rain day in three. August was London's lowest month in this period.
- The Cotswolds are wetter than London in every summer month, which fits their position on higher ground further west.
- Edinburgh's summer is its wettest stretch in this data, with July rain on more than half of days. Late spring and September are better bets there.
Each destination page shows the full year, with temperatures and sunshine hours, and our free wedding rain odds tool gives the historical chance of rain for your exact date and venue anywhere in the UK.
What is the best month to get married in the UK?
The best month to get married in the UK, for most couples, is June: it combines low rain odds, long evenings and comfortable warmth. May and September are close runners-up and often cheaper. Here is the trade-off at a glance:
| Month | Rain | Warmth | Light | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | Often the driest | Cool | Lengthening days | Great odds, bring a coat |
| May | Dry | Mild | Long evenings | Excellent all-rounder |
| June | Fairly dry | Warm | Longest days | The classic choice |
| July and August | Summer showers | Warmest | Long days | Warm but not dry; plan cover |
| September | Moderate | Mild | Shortening | Good value, still mild |
| October to January | Wettest | Cold | Short days | Indoor venues and cosy weddings |
Our wider guide to the best month to get married compares US and European destinations too. And if your date falls in mid-July, you may hear about St Swithin: our St Swithin's Day data check shows why the 40-days-of-rain rhyme is safe to ignore.
Venue strategy if you are marrying in a wetter region
You do not have to move your wedding to Essex. Many of the most beautiful UK venues are in the wetter west and north: the Lake District, Snowdonia, the Highlands and Cornwall. In those places, choose a venue that makes rain irrelevant:
- A beautiful indoor ceremony room you would be happy to use even if it is sunny.
- Covered outdoor space: a pergola, cloister, orangery or permanent marquee.
- A short walk between spaces, ideally under cover, so nobody crosses a soggy lawn in heels.
- Umbrellas for every guest, ideally clear or white, kept by the door.
- A clear decision deadline, usually 48 to 72 hours before, when the forecast becomes reliable. Our guide to the rain forecast for your wedding explains the timing.
Our step-by-step rainy wedding plan covers tents, timelines and vendor briefings. If you are worried about extreme weather stopping guests from travelling, read our guide to wedding insurance: UK policies generally do not cover ordinary rain, but many cover severe weather that stops the couple or a large share of guests from reaching the venue.
Hoping for a dry day
British couples have always hoped for sunshine, and the old proverb "happy is the bride the sun shines on" has kept that hope alive for generations. If you want a ritual of your own, our personal wedding weather ritual is performed for your date and place in the nights before your wedding, with photo proof and a written blessing. It cannot guarantee a dry day, especially in Edinburgh in July, and we would never claim otherwise. It is there for the part of you that wants to do something more than refresh the forecast.
The bottom line
The driest place in the UK is St Osyth in Essex, at around 500 mm of rain a year, and East Anglia and the south-east are the driest regions, thanks to the rain shadow cast by the western hills. The wettest areas are Snowdonia, the Lake District and the western Highlands. Spring and early summer are the driest months, with April the driest in our London, Cotswolds and Edinburgh data, and October to January the wettest. For a UK wedding, June balances dry odds and warmth best; wherever you marry, plan one good covered space and check your date's real rain odds.
Frequently asked questions
What is the driest place in the UK?
St Osyth, a village near Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, is usually named as the driest place in the UK, with average annual rainfall of around 500 mm. More broadly, East Anglia, which includes Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, is the driest region, with many areas below 600 mm a year.
What is the driest month in the UK?
Across the UK, spring and early summer are usually the driest part of the year, with April and May often the driest months on average. In our 2015 to 2024 ERA5 data, April had the fewest rain days in London, the Cotswolds and Edinburgh. Autumn and winter, from October to January, are the wettest months.
What is the best month to get married in the UK?
For a balance of dry weather, warmth and long evenings, June is a strong choice, with May and September close behind. April is often the driest but can be cool. July and August are the warmest but bring summer showers. Late autumn and winter are the wettest months, although they are also cheaper for many venues.
What is the wettest month in the UK?
Across the UK as a whole, the wettest months are usually from October to January, when Atlantic storms are most frequent and intense. December is often the wettest on average. In our ERA5 data for 2015 to 2024, October was among the two wettest months in London, the Cotswolds and Edinburgh.
Why is the east of England drier than the west?
Most UK rain arrives with weather systems from the Atlantic, carried by westerly winds. The hills and mountains of the south-west, Wales, Cumbria and western Scotland force that moist air up, where it cools and drops its rain. By the time the air reaches the east, much of the moisture is gone, leaving a rain shadow.