Island Questions

Does It Snow on the Isle of Wight? Rarely, and Briefly

Rarely. The sea keeps the island mild: St Catherine's Point averages 7.5 frost days a year against 53 for the UK. Snow that settles is a few-days event.

By Steve Dumas
Published

Does It Snow on the Isle of Wight? Rarely, and Briefly

It snows on the Isle of Wight only rarely, and snow that settles usually lasts a day or two. The sea around the island keeps winter nights milder than on the mainland. Met Office averages for 1991–2020 give St Catherine's Point, on the island's southern tip, just 7.5 days of air frost a year, compared with 53.4 for the UK as a whole. When snow does settle, as in December 2010, January and March 2013 and the "Beast from the East" in March 2018, it can still close schools and block hill roads for a day or two.

Frost and cold: the Met Office numbersSection titled Frost and cold: the Met Office numbers

The Met Office doesn't publish snow-day averages for island stations, but days of air frost (when the air temperature falls below 0°C) are a good guide to how often it's cold enough for snow to settle.

Station (1991–2020)Days of air frost a yearAverage January low
St Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight7.54.8°C
Shanklin, Isle of Wight17.43.9°C
Southampton, Mayflower Park26.1—
England SE and Central South district43.0—
UK average53.4—

Met Office location-specific long-term averages, 1991–2020.

St Catherine's Point is a lighthouse station right on the coast, so it's the mildest. Even there, frosts cluster in December to February: about 2.1 days in January and 2.5 in February. Shanklin averages 4.7 frost days in January, 4.5 in February and 4.1 in December, and almost none from May to October.

For comparison, the Met Office says the UK as a whole averages 13.0 days of lying snow a year (1991–2020), with Scotland at 23.0. It explains that the sea is the reason coasts get less: in winter the land cools faster than the sea, so cold air often warms slightly as it crosses the water, and falls as rain or sleet rather than snow.

That's the same reason the island's winters are milder in general. Our page on whether it's warmer on the Isle of Wight covers sunshine, sea temperatures and the island's microclimates.

Where snow is most likely on the islandSection titled Where snow is most likely on the island

When snow has caused trouble, it has mostly been on the downs and the steep roads in the south of the island rather than in the coastal towns. In the snow of March 2013 the roads reported closed included Mersley Down and Brading Down roads, Blackgang to Niton, St Lawrence Shute, Newport Road in Ventnor and Kingston to Shorwell, and Emmett Hill near Chale was blocked by drifting snow. In December 2010 a reader at St Lawrence reported 6 inches of snow, while the main roads from Ryde to Cowes stayed clear.

Notable snow in recent yearsSection titled Notable snow in recent years

December 2010Section titled December 2010

December 2010 was the coldest December in the UK's national Met Office series, which starts in 1910, with a provisional mean temperature of -1.0°C. On the island, snow fell on 1 December. Schools opened as normal that morning and the ferries, hovercraft, Island Line and most buses ran. The County Press later recalled the island being covered on 2 and 3 December, when schools and businesses closed.

January and March 2013Section titled January and March 2013

On 18 January 2013 all island schools closed and police advised against travel unless necessary. Wightlink ran the Fishbourne car ferry hourly and the Ryde catamaran to timetable, Red Funnel ran with speed restrictions in the Solent, and many bus routes were cancelled or delayed.

On 12 March 2013 snow returned, with the road closures listed above. School buses to Wroxall and Ventnor were cancelled. Red Funnel's passenger service was suspended because strong winds made berthing at West Cowes difficult, while its car ferry kept running; Wightlink and Hovertravel operated normally.

March 2018: the Beast from the EastSection titled March 2018: the Beast from the East

The Met Office describes the Beast from the East as unseasonably cold Siberian air that covered the UK at the start of March 2018, bringing significant snow and freezing rain on 1 and 2 March. For the island, the Met Office issued an amber warning for snow and wind until 8am on Friday 2 March, followed by a yellow warning for snow and ice, and all island schools were closed that day. A second, smaller snowfall came overnight into 19 March 2018, with ice forecast.

What happens to ferries, buses and roadsSection titled What happens to ferries, buses and roads

Snow on its own rarely stops the ferries. The pattern from past events is:

  • Car ferries (Wightlink from Portsmouth and Lymington, Red Funnel from Southampton) have generally kept running, sometimes on a reduced timetable.
  • Fast passenger services (the Red Jet, the Ryde catamaran and the hovercraft) are the ones most likely to be disrupted, and in March 2013 the cause was strong winds at West Cowes rather than snow on the water.
  • Buses are the most affected on the island itself, especially routes over the downs. Southern Vectis has suspended or diverted individual routes during snow.
  • Roads: Island Roads grits the routes chosen by Isle of Wight Council. It has six frontline gritters and starts each winter with 1,600 tonnes of salt. In 2024/25 it made 40 gritting runs and spread 830 tonnes; the winter before, 32 runs and about 479 tonnes. Minor roads and steep "shutes" may not be treated.

If snow or ice is forecast while you're visiting, check your ferry operator's website before you set out, and allow extra time to reach the terminal. Our ferry day planner can help you plan a crossing.

Visiting in winterSection titled Visiting in winter

Expect mild, damp and often windy weather rather than snow. The island is quieter, crossings are easier to book, and coastal walks are still good on a clear day. For ideas, see our winter guide and January guide, check what's open out of season, and keep our rainy day ideas handy for wet days, which are far more likely than white ones.

SourcesSection titled Sources

Frequently asked questions

When did it last snow properly on the Isle of Wight?

The most recent widespread disruption covered on this page was March 2018, when the Beast from the East brought an amber snow and wind warning and every school on the island closed on Friday 2 March. More snow fell overnight before 19 March 2018.

How many frosts does the Isle of Wight get?

Very few by UK standards. Met Office averages for 1991–2020 give St Catherine's Point, on the southern tip, 7.5 days of air frost a year, and Shanklin 17.4. The UK average is 53.4 days.

Do the ferries stop running when it snows?

Not usually because of snow itself. In past snowy spells the car ferries kept running, sometimes on a reduced timetable, and the fast passenger services were more often disrupted by the strong winds and high tides that came with the snow. Check your operator on the day.

Is a white Christmas likely on the Isle of Wight?

Unlikely. The Met Office says snow is more likely in January and February than in December across most of the UK, and the island's mild coastal climate makes settling snow rare at any time. The last widespread white Christmas in the UK was 2010.

Are Isle of Wight roads gritted?

Yes, the main routes. Island Roads treats the roads that Isle of Wight Council chooses, using six frontline gritters and a 1,600-tonne salt stockpile. In winter 2024/25 the gritters went out 40 times and spread 830 tonnes.

Steve Dumas

Written by Steve Dumas

Steve has lived on the island his whole life and now wants to share all that he knows.

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