In Bedford, the summers are short, comfortable, and partly cloudy and the winters are long, very cold, windy, and mostly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 2°Cto 22°C and is rarely below -3°C or above 27°C.
Average Temperature in Bedford
The warm season lasts for 2.8 months, from 17 June to 10 September, with an average daily high temperature above 19°C. The hottest month of the year in Bedford is July, with an average high of 22°C and low of 13°C.
The cool season lasts for 4.0 months, from 16 November to 16 March, with an average daily high temperature below 10°C. The coldest month of the year in Bedford is February, with an average low of 2°C and high of 7°C.
Clouds
In Bedford, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year in Bedford begins around 11 April and lasts for 6.1 months, ending around 13 October.
The clearest month of the year in Bedford is July, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 56% of the time.
The cloudier part of the year begins around 13 October and lasts for 5.9 months, ending around 11 April.
The cloudiest month of the year in Bedford is December, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy74% of the time.
Precipitation
A wet day is one with at least 1 millimetre of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Bedford varies throughout the year.
The wetter season lasts 8.4 months, from 21 May to 4 February, with a greater than 25% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Bedford is December, with an average of 8.9 days with at least 1 millimetre of precipitation.
The drier season lasts 3.5 months, from 4 February to 21 May. The month with the fewest wet days in Bedford is April, with an average of 6.2 days with at least 1 millimetre of precipitation.
Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Bedford is December, with an average of 8.8 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 30% on 30 December.
Rainfall
To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Bedford experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.
Rain falls throughout the year in Bedford. The month with the most rain in Bedford is October, with an average rainfall of 50 millimetres.
The month with the least rain in Bedford is March, with an average rainfall of 31 millimetres.
Sun
The length of the day in Bedford varies extremely over the course of the year. In 2022, the shortest day is 21 December, with 7 hours, 43 minutes of daylight; the longest day is 21 June, with 16 hours, 46 minutes of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 04:40 on 17 June, and the latest sunrise is 3 hours, 30 minutes later at 08:10 on 30 December. The earliest sunset is at 15:49 on 13 December, and the latest sunset is 5 hours, 37 minutes later at 21:26 on 25 June.
Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Bedford during 2022, starting in the spring on 27 March, lasting 7.1 months, and ending in the fall on 30 October.
The earliest sunrise is at 04:40 on 17 June, and the latest sunrise is 3 hours, 30 minutes later at 08:10 on 30 December. The earliest sunset is at 15:49 on 13 December, and the latest sunset is 5 hours, 37 minutes later at 21:26 on 25 June.
Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Bedford during 2022, starting in the spring on 27 March, lasting 7.1 months, and ending in the fall on 30 October.
Humidity
We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.
The perceived humidity level in Bedford, as measured by the percentage of time in which the humidity comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable, does not vary significantly over the course of the year, staying within 1% of 1%throughout.
Wind
This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 metres above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.
The average hourly wind speed in Bedford experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The windier part of the year lasts for 5.8 months, from 11 October to 5 April, with average wind speeds of more than 18.3 kilometres per hour. The windiest month of the year in Bedford is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 21.2 kilometres per hour.
The calmer time of year lasts for 6.2 months, from 5 April to 11 October. The calmest month of the year in Bedford is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 15.5 kilometres per hour.
Best Time of Year to Visit
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Bedford throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.
The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 18°C and 27°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Bedford for general outdoor tourist activities is from late June to early September, with a peak score in the last week of July.