Driest places to live in the UK

Q: What is the driest place in the UK?

Castle Point is the driest place in the UK with just 544mm of rainfall per year, based on Met Office 30-year averages (1991-2020). Rochford (547mm) and Southend-on-Sea (549mm) are also among the driest.

Q: What is the driest county in the UK?

Grouped by region, the driest area of the UK is East of England with an average rainfall of 625mm per year across its local authorities. That includes Castle Point, the single driest local authority in the country.

Q: What is the driest city in the UK?

Among the UK's major cities, Cambridge is the driest, with 561mm of rain per year. Peterborough (590mm) and Middlesbrough (635mm) follow.

Q: Where in the UK gets the least rain?

Eastern England gets the least rain. Castle Point, Rochford, and Southend-on-Sea all receive less than 549mm per year, compared to the UK average of 1,163mm.

Q: Is East Anglia the driest part of the UK?

Yes. The East of England has an average annual rainfall of 625mm across its local authorities, the lowest of any English region. Castle Point is the single driest local authority.

Castle Point is the driest place in the UK, receiving just 544mm of rain per year - that's around 53% less than the UK average of 1,163mm. Rain falls on only about 2.0 days a week.

Eastern England dominates this list. The counties along the east coast, from Essex to East Anglia to Lincolnshire, sit in the rain shadow of the rest of the country and receive less than half the rainfall of western areas.

If you're looking for somewhere with less rain, the data shows a clear pattern: the further east you go, the drier it gets. But less rain doesn't always mean more sunshine, so check the sunniest places ranking too.

Data last updated: 7 July 2026

Found somewhere you like? See the full picture on any home there.

Rainfall is one part of the picture. Enter a postcode to check one home: flood risk, EPC rating and sale prices.

All 350 areas ranked by annual rainfall, from driest to wettest. You can search for a specific area, filter by region, or switch to the Rain Days tab to see which areas have the fewest rainy days. Click any column header to re-sort the rankings.

Showing 350 of 350 areas.

UK avg 1,163mm/yr

#	Area
1	Castle Point East of England	544	106	2.0	1,734 4.8 hrs a day
2	Rochford East of England	547	104	2.0	1,771 4.9 hrs a day
3	Southend-on-Sea East of England	549	105	2.0	1,753 4.8 hrs a day
4	Maldon East of England	553	105	2.0	1,749 4.8 hrs a day
5	Cambridge East of England	561	106	2.0	1,529 4.2 hrs a day
6	Tendring East of England	564	105	2.0	1,741 4.8 hrs a day
7	Thurrock East of England	566	108	2.1	1,687 4.6 hrs a day
8	East Cambridgeshire East of England	579	112	2.2	1,555 4.3 hrs a day
9	Fenland East of England	579	111	2.1	1,544 4.2 hrs a day
10	Colchester East of England	580	107	2.1	1,709 4.7 hrs a day
11	Newham London	582	109	2.1	1,560 4.3 hrs a day
12	South Cambridgeshire East of England	582	111	2.1	1,562 4.3 hrs a day
13	Huntingdonshire East of England	590	110	2.1	1,592 4.4 hrs a day
14	Peterborough East of England	590	110	2.1	1,621 4.4 hrs a day
15	Medway South East	591	110	2.1	1,736 4.8 hrs a day
16	Bexley London	593	107	2.1	1,594 4.4 hrs a day
17	Havering London	593	110	2.1	1,630 4.5 hrs a day
18	Basildon East of England	594	109	2.1	1,690 4.6 hrs a day
19	Chelmsford East of England	595	110	2.1	1,672 4.6 hrs a day
20	Ipswich East of England	602	112	2.2	1,699 4.7 hrs a day
21	Barking and Dagenham London	604	110	2.1	1,590 4.4 hrs a day
22	South Holland East Midlands	604	114	2.2	1,576 4.3 hrs a day
23	Braintree East of England	607	112	2.2	1,645 4.5 hrs a day
24	Bedford East of England	608	113	2.2	1,577 4.3 hrs a day
25	Tower Hamlets London	608	111	2.1	1,552 4.3 hrs a day
26	Babergh East of England	609	112	2.2	1,694 4.6 hrs a day
27	Gravesham South East	609	112	2.2	1,696 4.6 hrs a day
28	Boston East Midlands	610	115	2.2	1,581 4.3 hrs a day
29	North Kesteven East Midlands	610	115	2.2	1,627 4.5 hrs a day
30	Lewisham London	612	110	2.1	1,549 4.2 hrs a day
31	Doncaster Yorkshire and The Humber	613	115	2.2	1,502 4.1 hrs a day
32	Southwark London	614	112	2.2	1,552 4.3 hrs a day
33	Dartford South East	616	109	2.1	1,630 4.5 hrs a day
34	Great Yarmouth East of England	617	118	2.3	1,705 4.7 hrs a day
35	Greenwich London	618	111	2.1	1,559 4.3 hrs a day
36	West Suffolk East of England	618	116	2.2	1,610 4.4 hrs a day
37	City of London London	620	113	2.2	1,554 4.3 hrs a day
38	Hammersmith and Fulham London	620	113	2.2	1,649 4.5 hrs a day
39	Islington London	620	113	2.2	1,554 4.3 hrs a day
40	Bassetlaw East Midlands	621	115	2.2	1,516 4.2 hrs a day
41	Brentwood East of England	621	112	2.2	1,655 4.5 hrs a day
42	Mid Suffolk East of England	621	118	2.3	1,684 4.6 hrs a day
43	Kensington and Chelsea London	622	112	2.2	1,598 4.4 hrs a day
44	Stockton-on-Tees North East	622	123	2.4	1,443 4.0 hrs a day
45	Waltham Forest London	622	112	2.2	1,581 4.3 hrs a day
46	Rushcliffe East Midlands	624	117	2.3	1,533 4.2 hrs a day
47	North East Lincolnshire Yorkshire and The Humber	625	121	2.3	1,596 4.4 hrs a day
48	Redbridge London	625	112	2.2	1,592 4.4 hrs a day
49	Slough South East	625	112	2.2	1,666 4.6 hrs a day
50	Thanet South East	626	110	2.1	1,851 5.1 hrs a day
51	Wandsworth London	626	113	2.2	1,632 4.5 hrs a day
52	Richmond upon Thames London	627	113	2.2	1,666 4.6 hrs a day
53	Central Bedfordshire East of England	628	116	2.2	1,569 4.3 hrs a day
54	East Suffolk East of England	628	116	2.2	1,685 4.6 hrs a day
55	Uttlesford East of England	630	116	2.2	1,602 4.4 hrs a day
56	Lambeth London	631	113	2.2	1,561 4.3 hrs a day
57	Merton London	631	112	2.2	1,621 4.4 hrs a day
58	Hartlepool North East	633	122	2.3	1,501 4.1 hrs a day
59	South Kesteven East Midlands	633	116	2.2	1,597 4.4 hrs a day
60	Hounslow London	634	112	2.2	1,677 4.6 hrs a day
61	Middlesbrough North East	635	122	2.3	1,410 3.9 hrs a day
62	Hackney London	636	113	2.2	1,578 4.3 hrs a day
63	Haringey London	636	113	2.2	1,578 4.3 hrs a day
64	York Yorkshire and The Humber	637	120	2.3	1,420 3.9 hrs a day
65	North Lincolnshire Yorkshire and The Humber	639	119	2.3	1,547 4.2 hrs a day
66	Epping Forest East of England	640	114	2.2	1,629 4.5 hrs a day
67	Spelthorne South East	641	112	2.2	1,686 4.6 hrs a day
68	North Hertfordshire East of England	643	116	2.2	1,582 4.3 hrs a day
69	Swale South East	644	111	2.1	1,757 4.8 hrs a day
70	Lincoln East Midlands	645	117	2.3	1,613 4.4 hrs a day
71	East Hertfordshire East of England	646	117	2.3	1,599 4.4 hrs a day
72	Milton Keynes South East	646	118	2.3	1,550 4.2 hrs a day
73	Newark and Sherwood East Midlands	646	117	2.3	1,561 4.3 hrs a day
74	West Lindsey East Midlands	646	119	2.3	1,576 4.3 hrs a day
75	Hillingdon London	648	114	2.2	1,662 4.6 hrs a day
76	King's Lynn and West Norfolk East of England	649	120	2.3	1,528 4.2 hrs a day
77	South Tyneside North East	649	120	2.3	1,569 4.3 hrs a day
78	Camden London	651	116	2.2	1,589 4.4 hrs a day
79	Westminster London	651	116	2.2	1,589 4.4 hrs a day
80	Broxbourne East of England	652	116	2.2	1,615 4.4 hrs a day
81	Ealing London	652	117	2.3	1,644 4.5 hrs a day
82	Elmbridge South East	652	113	2.2	1,654 4.5 hrs a day
83	Kingston upon Thames London	654	114	2.2	1,652 4.5 hrs a day
84	North Northamptonshire East Midlands	654	118	2.3	1,567 4.3 hrs a day
85	South Norfolk East of England	654	122	2.3	1,623 4.4 hrs a day
86	Harlow East of England	655	114	2.2	1,619 4.4 hrs a day
87	Stevenage East of England	658	118	2.3	1,593 4.4 hrs a day
88	Darlington North East	661	122	2.3	1,475 4.0 hrs a day
89	Tamworth West Midlands	661	125	2.4	1,521 4.2 hrs a day
90	East Lindsey East Midlands	664	121	2.3	1,593 4.4 hrs a day
91	Leicester East Midlands	664	121	2.3	1,469 4.0 hrs a day
92	Epsom and Ewell South East	665	114	2.2	1,618 4.4 hrs a day
93	Melton East Midlands	665	121	2.3	1,523 4.2 hrs a day
94	Wakefield Yorkshire and The Humber	665	121	2.3	1,436 3.9 hrs a day
95	Enfield London	667	118	2.3	1,601 4.4 hrs a day
96	Norwich East of England	667	125	2.4	1,582 4.3 hrs a day
97	Welwyn Hatfield East of England	667	117	2.3	1,621 4.4 hrs a day
98	Windsor and Maidenhead South East	669	117	2.3	1,636 4.5 hrs a day
99	Blaby East Midlands	671	122	2.3	1,499 4.1 hrs a day
100	Hull Yorkshire and The Humber	671	122	2.3	1,581 4.3 hrs a day
101	Rugby West Midlands	672	123	2.4	1,536 4.2 hrs a day
102	Vale of White Horse South East	672	119	2.3	1,601 4.4 hrs a day
103	North Tyneside North East	673	122	2.3	1,558 4.3 hrs a day
104	Broadland East of England	675	124	2.4	1,619 4.4 hrs a day
105	Derby East Midlands	675	125	2.4	1,478 4.0 hrs a day
106	Stratford-on-Avon West Midlands	675	122	2.3	1,526 4.2 hrs a day
107	Watford East of England	675	116	2.2	1,614 4.4 hrs a day
108	Brent London	676	116	2.2	1,608 4.4 hrs a day
109	Rotherham Yorkshire and The Humber	676	123	2.4	1,530 4.2 hrs a day
110	Runnymede South East	676	115	2.2	1,665 4.6 hrs a day
111	Wychavon West Midlands	677	122	2.3	1,548 4.2 hrs a day
112	Oadby and Wigston East Midlands	678	121	2.3	1,496 4.1 hrs a day
113	Newcastle upon Tyne North East	679	123	2.4	1,506 4.1 hrs a day
114	Oxford South East	679	116	2.2	1,612 4.4 hrs a day
115	Reading South East	680	117	2.3	1,583 4.3 hrs a day
116	Wokingham South East	681	117	2.3	1,605 4.4 hrs a day
117	Breckland East of England	686	124	2.4	1,560 4.3 hrs a day
118	North Norfolk East of England	686	125	2.4	1,638 4.5 hrs a day
119	Sunderland North East	686	124	2.4	1,537 4.2 hrs a day
120	Bracknell Forest South East	687	117	2.3	1,634 4.5 hrs a day
121	Charnwood East Midlands	687	123	2.4	1,505 4.1 hrs a day
122	East Riding of Yorkshire Yorkshire and The Humber	687	125	2.4	1,554 4.3 hrs a day
123	Harrow London	687	117	2.3	1,622 4.4 hrs a day
124	Lichfield West Midlands	688	126	2.4	1,503 4.1 hrs a day
125	Rutland East Midlands	688	120	2.3	1,573 4.3 hrs a day
126	Luton East of England	689	121	2.3	1,571 4.3 hrs a day
127	Hertsmere East of England	690	117	2.3	1,621 4.4 hrs a day
128	Woking South East	691	115	2.2	1,631 4.5 hrs a day
129	St Albans East of England	693	119	2.3	1,620 4.4 hrs a day
130	Hinckley and Bosworth East Midlands	694	125	2.4	1,505 4.1 hrs a day
131	North Warwickshire West Midlands	694	126	2.4	1,534 4.2 hrs a day
132	Worcester West Midlands	695	122	2.3	1,542 4.2 hrs a day
133	Nottingham East Midlands	696	123	2.4	1,480 4.1 hrs a day
134	Nuneaton and Bedworth West Midlands	696	126	2.4	1,525 4.2 hrs a day
135	West Northamptonshire East Midlands	696	122	2.3	1,538 4.2 hrs a day
136	South Oxfordshire South East	697	119	2.3	1,527 4.2 hrs a day
137	South Derbyshire East Midlands	698	127	2.4	1,497 4.1 hrs a day
138	Coventry West Midlands	699	124	2.4	1,531 4.2 hrs a day
139	Telford and Wrekin West Midlands	699	132	2.5	1,461 4.0 hrs a day
140	Barnet London	700	119	2.3	1,605 4.4 hrs a day
141	Canterbury South East	700	117	2.3	1,789 4.9 hrs a day
142	Warwick West Midlands	700	126	2.4	1,540 4.2 hrs a day
143	Broxtowe East Midlands	701	124	2.4	1,488 4.1 hrs a day
144	Cherwell South East	701	121	2.3	1,561 4.3 hrs a day
145	Harborough East Midlands	702	124	2.4	1,513 4.1 hrs a day
146	Sutton London	703	117	2.3	1,591 4.4 hrs a day
147	Three Rivers East of England	703	119	2.3	1,620 4.4 hrs a day
148	Erewash East Midlands	705	124	2.4	1,497 4.1 hrs a day
149	North West Leicestershire East Midlands	706	128	2.5	1,489 4.1 hrs a day
150	Gateshead North East	707	129	2.5	1,497 4.1 hrs a day
151	Surrey Heath South East	707	119	2.3	1,644 4.5 hrs a day
152	Buckinghamshire South East	709	123	2.4	1,563 4.3 hrs a day
153	Maidstone South East	709	117	2.3	1,710 4.7 hrs a day
154	Tonbridge and Malling South East	711	117	2.3	1,674 4.6 hrs a day
155	Mansfield East Midlands	714	122	2.3	1,502 4.1 hrs a day
156	Wyre Forest West Midlands	716	126	2.4	1,544 4.2 hrs a day
157	Leeds Yorkshire and The Humber	717	129	2.5	1,372 3.8 hrs a day
158	Gedling East Midlands	720	125	2.4	1,514 4.1 hrs a day
159	Bromley London	721	121	2.3	1,575 4.3 hrs a day
160	Bolsover East Midlands	727	127	2.4	1,515 4.2 hrs a day
161	Gloucester South West	729	129	2.5	1,562 4.3 hrs a day
162	South Staffordshire West Midlands	730	132	2.5	1,465 4.0 hrs a day
163	Malvern Hills West Midlands	734	126	2.4	1,538 4.2 hrs a day
164	Rushmoor South East	741	119	2.3	1,627 4.5 hrs a day
165	Tewkesbury South West	745	129	2.5	1,560 4.3 hrs a day
166	West Oxfordshire South East	746	125	2.4	1,612 4.4 hrs a day
167	Chesterfield East Midlands	747	130	2.5	1,518 4.2 hrs a day
168	Hart South East	748	122	2.3	1,662 4.6 hrs a day
169	Redditch West Midlands	748	129	2.5	1,503 4.1 hrs a day
170	Sevenoaks South East	748	120	2.3	1,638 4.5 hrs a day
171	Solihull West Midlands	748	130	2.5	1,526 4.2 hrs a day
172	Swindon South West	748	127	2.4	1,606 4.4 hrs a day
173	Ashford South East	752	120	2.3	1,745 4.8 hrs a day
174	Dudley West Midlands	752	133	2.6	1,498 4.1 hrs a day
175	Portsmouth South East	752	117	2.3	1,687 4.6 hrs a day
176	Cheshire West and Chester North West	754	142	2.7	1,480 4.1 hrs a day
177	Dacorum East of England	754	125	2.4	1,587 4.3 hrs a day
178	Redcar and Cleveland North East	754	133	2.6	1,450 4.0 hrs a day
179	Wolverhampton West Midlands	754	133	2.6	1,429 3.9 hrs a day
180	Walsall West Midlands	756	132	2.5	1,459 4.0 hrs a day
181	Birmingham West Midlands	757	130	2.5	1,496 4.1 hrs a day
182	Croydon London	757	121	2.3	1,575 4.3 hrs a day
183	Guildford South East	762	121	2.3	1,624 4.4 hrs a day
184	West Berkshire South East	767	123	2.4	1,576 4.3 hrs a day
185	Folkestone and Hythe South East	769	120	2.3	1,857 5.1 hrs a day
186	Sandwell West Midlands	770	134	2.6	1,477 4.0 hrs a day
187	Cannock Chase West Midlands	772	135	2.6	1,443 4.0 hrs a day
188	Dover South East	772	120	2.3	1,849 5.1 hrs a day
189	Ashfield East Midlands	777	129	2.5	1,483 4.1 hrs a day
190	Bromsgrove West Midlands	778	132	2.5	1,525 4.2 hrs a day
191	Stafford West Midlands	778	139	2.7	1,449 4.0 hrs a day
192	East Staffordshire West Midlands	779	136	2.6	1,471 4.0 hrs a day
193	Gosport South East	779	118	2.3	1,730 4.7 hrs a day
194	Wirral North West	779	148	2.8	1,525 4.2 hrs a day
195	East Lothian Scotland	780	132	2.5	1,379 3.8 hrs a day
196	Dundee Scotland	786	132	2.5	1,476 4.0 hrs a day
197	Cheltenham South West	791	135	2.6	1,531 4.2 hrs a day
198	Reigate and Banstead South East	796	125	2.4	1,618 4.4 hrs a day
199	Tunbridge Wells South East	800	122	2.3	1,704 4.7 hrs a day
200	Shropshire West Midlands	801	139	2.7	1,427 3.9 hrs a day
201	Havant South East	808	120	2.3	1,661 4.6 hrs a day
202	Newcastle-under-Lyme West Midlands	811	146	2.8	1,458 4.0 hrs a day
203	Tandridge South East	813	127	2.4	1,628 4.5 hrs a day
204	Amber Valley East Midlands	816	134	2.6	1,480 4.1 hrs a day
205	Edinburgh Scotland	817	138	2.7	1,396 3.8 hrs a day
206	Mole Valley South East	818	125	2.4	1,639 4.5 hrs a day
207	Herefordshire West Midlands	824	132	2.5	1,519 4.2 hrs a day
208	Hastings South East	825	121	2.3	1,871 5.1 hrs a day
209	Basingstoke and Deane South East	833	127	2.4	1,622 4.4 hrs a day
210	Cheshire East North West	833	149	2.9	1,446 4.0 hrs a day
211	Warrington North West	840	154	3.0	1,456 4.0 hrs a day
212	Southampton South East	842	120	2.3	1,677 4.6 hrs a day
213	Halton North West	843	151	2.9	1,459 4.0 hrs a day
214	Fareham South East	844	124	2.4	1,695 4.6 hrs a day
215	Waverley South East	845	126	2.4	1,644 4.5 hrs a day
216	Rother South East	846	122	2.3	1,778 4.9 hrs a day
217	Stroud South West	846	133	2.6	1,568 4.3 hrs a day
218	Crawley South East	847	126	2.4	1,656 4.5 hrs a day
219	Barnsley Yorkshire and The Humber	848	136	2.6	1,479 4.1 hrs a day
220	Cotswold South West	849	134	2.6	1,555 4.3 hrs a day
221	Isle of Wight South East	853	121	2.3	1,875 5.1 hrs a day
222	Flintshire Wales	854	149	2.9	1,463 4.0 hrs a day
223	North East Derbyshire East Midlands	855	138	2.7	1,497 4.1 hrs a day
224	Sefton North West	855	148	2.8	1,529 4.2 hrs a day
225	Trafford North West	855	151	2.9	1,430 3.9 hrs a day
226	Worthing South East	855	123	2.4	1,819 5.0 hrs a day
227	Brighton and Hove South East	857	121	2.3	1,746 4.8 hrs a day
228	Arun South East	858	122	2.3	1,815 5.0 hrs a day
229	Eastleigh South East	859	124	2.4	1,683 4.6 hrs a day
230	Aberdeen Scotland	860	141	2.7	1,450 4.0 hrs a day
231	Eastbourne South East	862	121	2.3	1,836 5.0 hrs a day
232	Test Valley South East	862	126	2.4	1,634 4.5 hrs a day
233	Wiltshire South West	863	133	2.6	1,604 4.4 hrs a day
234	Stoke-on-Trent West Midlands	864	151	2.9	1,415 3.9 hrs a day
235	Fife Scotland	865	142	2.7	1,410 3.9 hrs a day
236	South Gloucestershire South West	869	137	2.6	1,616 4.4 hrs a day
237	Adur South East	870	122	2.3	1,780 4.9 hrs a day
238	Bristol South West	870	138	2.7	1,621 4.4 hrs a day
239	Horsham South East	870	124	2.4	1,706 4.7 hrs a day
240	Forest of Dean South West	871	132	2.5	1,601 4.4 hrs a day
241	Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole South West	878	124	2.4	1,793 4.9 hrs a day
242	Wealden South East	878	125	2.4	1,708 4.7 hrs a day
243	Exeter South West	880	131	2.5	1,586 4.3 hrs a day
244	Isles of Scilly South West	881	141	2.7	1,801 4.9 hrs a day
245	Liverpool North West	888	152	2.9	1,474 4.0 hrs a day
246	Lewes South East	889	123	2.4	1,717 4.7 hrs a day
247	New Forest South East	895	126	2.4	1,744 4.8 hrs a day
248	Mid Sussex South East	897	126	2.4	1,672 4.6 hrs a day
249	Winchester South East	900	127	2.4	1,626 4.5 hrs a day
250	Knowsley North West	908	153	2.9	1,464 4.0 hrs a day
251	North Somerset South West	914	143	2.8	1,636 4.5 hrs a day
252	Manchester North West	917	159	3.1	1,380 3.8 hrs a day
253	Northumberland North East	923	149	2.9	1,419 3.9 hrs a day
254	Blackpool North West	926	150	2.9	1,567 4.3 hrs a day
255	Midlothian Scotland	926	154	3.0	1,299 3.6 hrs a day
256	Bath and North East Somerset South West	928	140	2.7	1,600 4.4 hrs a day
257	West Lancashire North West	928	154	3.0	1,482 4.1 hrs a day
258	St. Helens North West	929	159	3.1	1,457 4.0 hrs a day
259	Stockport North West	929	160	3.1	1,368 3.7 hrs a day
260	Chichester South East	934	126	2.4	1,701 4.7 hrs a day
261	Salford North West	949	159	3.1	1,404 3.8 hrs a day
262	Fylde North West	950	155	3.0	1,491 4.1 hrs a day
263	Wrexham Wales	953	151	2.9	1,407 3.9 hrs a day
264	County Durham North East	954	147	2.8	1,460 4.0 hrs a day
265	North Yorkshire Yorkshire and The Humber	959	145	2.8	1,383 3.8 hrs a day
266	Dorset South West	973	132	2.5	1,661 4.6 hrs a day
267	East Hampshire South East	977	131	2.5	1,634 4.5 hrs a day
268	South Ribble North West	979	158	3.0	1,430 3.9 hrs a day
269	Derbyshire Dales East Midlands	985	151	2.9	1,432 3.9 hrs a day
270	Moray Scotland	993	166	3.2	1,266 3.5 hrs a day
271	Somerset South West	993	142	2.7	1,572 4.3 hrs a day
272	Aberdeenshire Scotland	1,000	159	3.1	1,307 3.6 hrs a day
273	East Devon South West	1,009	137	2.6	1,605 4.4 hrs a day
274	Wigan North West	1,013	163	3.1	1,427 3.9 hrs a day
275	Sheffield Yorkshire and The Humber	1,018	149	2.9	1,478 4.0 hrs a day
276	Mid Devon South West	1,019	149	2.9	1,531 4.2 hrs a day
277	Kirklees Yorkshire and The Humber	1,026	155	3.0	1,370 3.8 hrs a day
278	Staffordshire Moorlands West Midlands	1,030	159	3.1	1,390 3.8 hrs a day
279	Isle of Anglesey Wales	1,050	158	3.0	1,597 4.4 hrs a day
280	Torbay South West	1,052	140	2.7	1,715 4.7 hrs a day
281	Denbighshire Wales	1,054	163	3.1	1,337 3.7 hrs a day
282	West Lothian Scotland	1,056	166	3.2	1,317 3.6 hrs a day
283	Bradford Yorkshire and The Humber	1,063	157	3.0	1,304 3.6 hrs a day
284	Monmouthshire Wales	1,071	143	2.8	1,550 4.2 hrs a day
285	Orkney Islands Scotland	1,098	197	3.8	1,220 3.3 hrs a day
286	Tameside North West	1,098	167	3.2	1,309 3.6 hrs a day
287	Wyre North West	1,104	160	3.1	1,452 4.0 hrs a day
288	Scottish Borders Scotland	1,112	163	3.1	1,289 3.5 hrs a day
289	Angus Scotland	1,116	153	2.9	1,354 3.7 hrs a day
290	Chorley North West	1,123	167	3.2	1,393 3.8 hrs a day
291	Newport Wales	1,125	147	2.8	1,623 4.4 hrs a day
292	Glasgow Scotland	1,126	173	3.3	1,322 3.6 hrs a day
293	Clackmannanshire Scotland	1,133	168	3.2	1,279 3.5 hrs a day
294	Vale of Glamorgan Wales	1,141	157	3.0	1,643 4.5 hrs a day
295	Falkirk Scotland	1,147	168	3.2	1,333 3.7 hrs a day
296	Plymouth South West	1,150	155	3.0	1,616 4.4 hrs a day
297	Preston North West	1,152	166	3.2	1,396 3.8 hrs a day
298	Bury North West	1,201	169	3.3	1,353 3.7 hrs a day
299	Hyndburn North West	1,202	173	3.3	1,315 3.6 hrs a day
300	Shetland Islands Scotland	1,215	205	3.9	1,098 3.0 hrs a day
301	North Lanarkshire Scotland	1,216	178	3.4	1,292 3.5 hrs a day
302	Pendle North West	1,227	170	3.3	1,275 3.5 hrs a day
303	Torridge South West	1,239	170	3.3	1,581 4.3 hrs a day
304	Teignbridge South West	1,244	148	2.8	1,591 4.4 hrs a day
305	Calderdale Yorkshire and The Humber	1,245	172	3.3	1,304 3.6 hrs a day
306	Cornwall South West	1,247	166	3.2	1,633 4.5 hrs a day
307	Bolton North West	1,273	174	3.3	1,365 3.7 hrs a day
308	Lancaster North West	1,286	169	3.3	1,420 3.9 hrs a day
309	North Devon South West	1,292	169	3.3	1,515 4.2 hrs a day
310	Burnley North West	1,296	176	3.4	1,271 3.5 hrs a day
311	Cardiff Wales	1,296	159	3.1	1,579 4.3 hrs a day
312	Rochdale North West	1,298	176	3.4	1,302 3.6 hrs a day
313	Swansea Wales	1,309	165	3.2	1,553 4.3 hrs a day
314	South Lanarkshire Scotland	1,312	181	3.5	1,224 3.4 hrs a day
315	Oldham North West	1,324	177	3.4	1,288 3.5 hrs a day
316	Pembrokeshire Wales	1,328	166	3.2	1,553 4.3 hrs a day
317	High Peak East Midlands	1,352	175	3.4	1,336 3.7 hrs a day
318	South Hams South West	1,376	156	3.0	1,592 4.4 hrs a day
319	Blackburn with Darwen North West	1,408	179	3.4	1,332 3.6 hrs a day
320	Torfaen Wales	1,443	155	3.0	1,511 4.1 hrs a day
321	Cumberland North West	1,456	174	3.3	1,367 3.7 hrs a day
322	Powys Wales	1,456	174	3.3	1,315 3.6 hrs a day
323	Perth and Kinross Scotland	1,464	178	3.4	1,202 3.3 hrs a day
324	Rossendale North West	1,475	181	3.5	1,294 3.5 hrs a day
325	Ribble Valley North West	1,476	177	3.4	1,330 3.6 hrs a day
326	Ceredigion Wales	1,477	182	3.5	1,402 3.8 hrs a day
327	South Ayrshire Scotland	1,503	188	3.6	1,277 3.5 hrs a day
328	East Ayrshire Scotland	1,523	192	3.7	1,257 3.4 hrs a day
329	West Devon South West	1,534	174	3.3	1,488 4.1 hrs a day
330	East Renfrewshire Scotland	1,538	189	3.6	1,324 3.6 hrs a day
331	West Dunbartonshire Scotland	1,557	187	3.6	1,300 3.6 hrs a day
332	Carmarthenshire Wales	1,564	180	3.5	1,458 4.0 hrs a day
333	Dumfries and Galloway Scotland	1,566	182	3.5	1,272 3.5 hrs a day
334	East Dunbartonshire Scotland	1,569	188	3.6	1,295 3.5 hrs a day
335	Caerphilly Wales	1,593	166	3.2	1,453 4.0 hrs a day
336	Westmorland and Furness North West	1,602	178	3.4	1,330 3.6 hrs a day
337	Conwy Wales	1,609	183	3.5	1,327 3.6 hrs a day
338	Blaenau Gwent Wales	1,615	168	3.2	1,398 3.8 hrs a day
339	Na h-Eileanan Siar Scotland	1,624	222	4.3	1,175 3.2 hrs a day
340	Renfrewshire Scotland	1,625	190	3.7	1,336 3.7 hrs a day
341	Bridgend Wales	1,654	174	3.3	1,523 4.2 hrs a day
342	North Ayrshire Scotland	1,713	195	3.8	1,312 3.6 hrs a day
343	Merthyr Tydfil Wales	1,743	176	3.4	1,353 3.7 hrs a day
344	Neath Port Talbot Wales	1,789	182	3.5	1,433 3.9 hrs a day
345	Highland Scotland	1,851	211	4.1	1,081 3.0 hrs a day
346	Gwynedd Wales	1,863	190	3.7	1,317 3.6 hrs a day
347	Inverclyde Scotland	1,995	205	3.9	1,292 3.5 hrs a day
348	Rhondda Cynon Taf Wales	2,020	181	3.5	1,425 3.9 hrs a day
349	Stirling Scotland	2,078	198	3.8	1,174 3.2 hrs a day
350	Argyll and Bute Scotland	2,218	215	4.1	1,218 3.3 hrs a day

A closer look at the top 10

Every single area in the top 10 sits in the East of England. Castle Point on the Essex coast leads at just 544mm a year, followed by Rochford (547), Southend-on-Sea (549), Maldon (553), Cambridge (561), Tendring (564), Thurrock (566), Fenland (579), East Cambridgeshire (579) and Colchester (580). Nine of the ten are in Essex or Cambridgeshire; only Cambridge breaks the coastal Essex cluster.

The mechanism is the rain shadow. Prevailing westerly winds drop most of their moisture on the higher ground of Wales, the Pennines and western Scotland; by the time the air reaches the east coast it has very little rain left in it. Castle Point at 544mm a year gets less than a quarter of what Argyll and Bute records in the west, despite sitting at roughly similar latitudes.

Against a UK average of 1,163mm, the driest areas receive between 47% and 50% of the country's typical rainfall. That is a genuinely dry climate by UK standards. It matters practically: gardens water differently, drought orders bite sooner, and the reservoirs of eastern England are more sensitive to dry summers than the western ones.

Driest is not the same as sunniest. Castle Point at 1,734 hours of sunshine and Southend-on-Sea at 1,753 hours are sunnier than the UK average, but they are not in the top 10 for sunshine. That list is dominated by the south coast, from the Isle of Wight through Hastings to Bournemouth. The driest areas are dry because the westerly weather runs out of rain before it gets there; the sunniest are sunny because they face south into the light. Two related patterns, not the same one.

Key findings

Castle Point is the driest place in the UK at 544mm of rain per year.
Rain falls on only 2.0 days a week in Castle Point.
The top 3 driest areas (Castle Point, Rochford, Southend-on-Sea) all sit in eastern England.
Castle Point gets around 53% less rain than the UK average of 1,163mm per year.

Methodology

Areas are ranked using Met Office HadUK-Grid 5km-resolution climate data, averaged over the 1991-2020 reference period. Rainfall is the sum of the monthly totals for each grid cell within each local authority boundary. Where a very small local authority contains no grid centre, the nearest-cell fallback is used.

Read more about our data sources and approach on the About page.

Frequently asked questions about the driest places in the UK

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