How extreme does Glasgow's weather get?

The hottest, coldest, wettest and snowiest days Glasgow has recorded — the outer limits of what its weather can do, and how far they sit beyond a normal day.

Based on 50+ years of daily weather observations (1971–present), from the Sedalia Wtp station 69 km away. Updated through June 2026 — an all-time extreme only changes when a more extreme day actually occurs, so some dates are old. That is normal, not stale data.

The four kinds of extreme

The hottest, coldest, wettest and snowiest single days Glasgow has recorded — each shown against what a normal day that time of year looks like.

🔥 Hottest day

107°F Jul 16, 1980

That is about 20°F hotter than a normal July afternoon in Glasgow (typical high near 87°F).

The three most extreme on record

1 107°F Jul 16, 1980

2 107°F Jul 31, 1980

3 107°F Aug 1, 1980

❄️ Coldest night

-28°F Dec 23, 1989

About 52°F colder than a normal December night in Glasgow (typical low near 24°F).

The three most extreme on record

1 -28°F Dec 23, 1989

2 -28°F Dec 24, 1989

3 -27°F Feb 9, 1979

🌧️ Most rain in one day

6.50 in Jul 21, 1996

More rain in a single day than Glasgow usually gets in the whole month of July (typical July total about 4.9 in).

The three most extreme on record

1 6.50 in Jul 21, 1996

2 6.10 in Jul 26, 1998

3 6.10 in Jun 1, 2022

⛄ Most snow in one day

21.3 in Feb 2, 2011

Close to a whole typical February's snow in one day (Glasgow averages about 3 in across the month).

The three most extreme on record

1 21.3 in Feb 2, 2011

2 16.0 in Dec 1, 2006

3 10.0 in Dec 31, 1973

How hot and cold it gets, month by month

The shaded band is the normal range of daily temperatures for each month. The dots show the most extreme it has ever been — so you can see how far beyond a normal day the records really sit.

normal range of daily temperatureshottest ever recordedcoldest ever recorded

Glasgow's record heat sits well above even a hot day for the season — July's 107°F is about 20°F beyond a normal hot afternoon. Its record cold is just as far below a normal winter night — the dots mark how rare each extreme really is.

In plain terms

In a normal year, Glasgow's warmest days reach the high 80s°F and its coldest nights drop to the high 10s°F. But across the record it has gone as high as 107°F and as low as −28°F. A single day has delivered over 7 inches of rain or close to 21 inches of snow. Those are the outer edges worth knowing if you are moving here, planning a trip, or thinking about a house.

Methodology & sources

Temperature & precipitation — the official 1991–2020 climate normals from NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals, measured at Jefferson City Wtp (NOAA GHCN station USC00234271), about 92 km from the city centre.

How we build these numbers →

← Glasgow city detail