Readings of the weather have been taken daily in Cambridge University Botanic Garden since 1904. The annual rainfall in the Cambridge area over the period 1961-90 averaged 563mm, which makes the area one of the driest in Western Europe north of the Pyrenees. The rain falls fairly evenly throughout the year, with the wettest month on average (by a very slight margin) being August, though evaporation usually exceeds rainfall in Summer, and some plants must be watered.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 31.7 | 45.0 | 19.3 | 4.4 | 14.2 | 22.4 | 48.8 | 56.9 | 7.5 | 30.9 | 81.5 | 28.1 | 390.7 |
| 1997 | 12.3 | 40.3 | 7.5 | 12.0 | 43.6 | 161.8 | 24.0 | 55.4 | 12.9 | 47.5 | 34.9 | 62.1 | 514.3 |
| 1998 | 40.0 | 4.9 | 43.9 | 107.2 | 8.1 | 105.4 | 18.9 | 20.7 | 105.5 | 71.5 | 51.3 | 55.9 | 633.3 |
| 1999 | 47.4 | 28.9 | 37.0 | 28.4 | 31.5 | 97.3 | 19.3 | 79.0 | 64.5 | 41.4 | 25.6 | 66.8 | 567.1 |
| 2000 | 19.4 | 53.3 | 13.7 | 85.3 | 78.4 | 20.2 | 69.4 | 19.3 | 73.9 | 107.9 | 109.4 | 53.9 | 704.1 |
| 2001 | 49.0 | 73.5 | 68.4 | 70.3 | 25.0 | 24.4 | 44.3 | 93.0 | 70.4 | 129.2 | 37.5 | 20.6 | 705.6 |
| 2002 | 29.9 | 41.6 | 36.1 | 30.8 | 40.6 | 33.0 | 88.8 | 34.9 | 27.2 | 60.7 | 94.3 | 83.1 | 601.0 |
| 2003 | 82.0 | 14.1 | 14.9 | 25.8 | 37.3 | 57.3 | 52.6 | 2.7 | 13.7 | 30.1 | 86.6 | 46.1 | 463.2 |
| 2004 | 75.6 | 31.5 | 29.4 | 38.1 | 38.7 | 27.1 | 68.3 | 80.0 | 20.4 | 58.5 | 48.8 | 27.9 | 544.3 |
| 2005 | 28.1 | 25.5 | 20.7 | 20.8 | 47.0 | 52.1 | 29.0 | 58.8 | 101.5 | 55.8 | 40.3 | 16.5 | 496.1 |
| 2006 | 17.8 | 26.6 | 34.8 | 29.2 | 66.2 | 19.2 | 44.6 | 66.4 | 53.2 | 48.4 | 61.4 | 42.4 | 510.2 |
| 2007 | 55.7 | 49.3 | 21.4 | 1.9 | 131.1 | 68.3 | 68.2 | 51.1 | 22.0 | 55.2 | 34.3 | 38.7 | 597.2 |
| 2008 | 56.9 | 56.9 |
You can look at the current weather in Cambridge, thanks to sensors on the roof of the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory.