How extreme does Oxford's weather get?

The hottest, coldest, wettest and snowiest days Oxford 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 Richmond Wtr Wks station 40 km away. Updated through May 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 Oxford has recorded — each shown against what a normal day that time of year looks like.

🔥 Hottest day

104°F Jun 28, 2012

That is about 22°F hotter than a normal June afternoon in Oxford (typical high near 82°F).

The three most extreme on record

1 104°F Jun 28, 2012

2 102°F Jul 6, 2012

3 100°F Jul 15, 1988

❄️ Coldest night

-27°F Jan 19, 1994

About 47°F colder than a normal January night in Oxford (typical low near 20°F).

The three most extreme on record

1 -27°F Jan 19, 1994

2 -25°F Jan 20, 1985

3 -23°F Jan 21, 1994

🌧️ Most rain in one day

4.53 in Oct 1, 1986

More rain in a single day than Oxford usually gets in the whole month of October (typical October total about 3.2 in).

The three most extreme on record

1 4.53 in Oct 1, 1986

2 4.44 in Dec 21, 2013

3 3.69 in Apr 4, 2011

⛄ Most snow in one day

13.0 in Dec 22, 2004

The three most extreme on record

1 13.0 in Dec 22, 2004

2 11.0 in Jan 2, 1996

3 9.0 in Feb 27, 1984

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

Oxford's record heat sits well above even a hot day for the season — June's 104°F is about 22°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, Oxford's warmest days reach the mid-80s°F and its coldest nights drop to the low 20s°F. But across the record it has gone as high as 104°F and as low as −27°F. A single day has delivered over 5 inches of rain or close to 13 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 Dayton Mcd (NOAA GHCN station USC00332067), about 56 km from the city centre.

How we build these numbers →

← Oxford city detail