London weather in December

In December, London sees average daytime highs of 2°C and overnight lows near -5°C, with 68 mm of precipitation across 11.2 wet days and about 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 4°C in the first days to 0°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is London's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see London's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-5°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
68 mm
11.2 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
7:56 AM – 4:46 PM
Cloud cover
81%
11th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.32 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

London is city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,004/km²
people per km²
Founded
1826

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 4°C in the first days to 0°C by the end.

A typical December day in London reaches about 2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -5°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -5°C and 8°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 3°C warmer than January.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
14-2
24-2
34-2
43-3
53-3
63-3
73-3
83-3
92-4
102-4
112-4
122-4
132-4
142-4
151-5
161-5
171-5
181-5
191-5
201-5
211-5
221-5
231-5
241-5
251-6
260-6
270-6
280-6
290-6
300-6
310-6

How December really feels in London

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
31
16 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

London weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -8°7211.79.69.20.0
Feb-0° / -9°589.58.210.20.0
Mar / -4°7010.95.711.60.4
Apr12° / 9312.42.213.13.1
May19° / 9812.5014.45.6
Jun24° / 14°10212015.16.5
Jul26° / 16°10011.9014.86.5
Aug25° / 15°8410.6013.86.8
Sep21° / 11°869.7012.36.6
Oct14° / 8611.80.210.84.1
Nov / 7711.13.99.51.0
Dec / -5°6811.28.18.90.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 84%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11882
21882
31882
41882
51882
61882
71882
81882
91882
101783
111783
121783
131783
141783
151783
161783
171684
181684
191684
201684
211684
221684
231585
241585
251486
261486
271486
281486
291387
301387
311387

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

London gets around 68 mm of rain and snow over 11.2 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 37% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14223
24123
34123
44024
54024
63925
73925
83826
93726
103726
113627
123627
133627
143527
153527
163527
173527
183527
193527
203527
213527
223526
233526
243526
253526
263527
273527
283627
293628
303728
313728

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in December

Winds average 14 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:43 AM to 8:02 AM, and sunset from 4:47 PM to 4:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.17:434:47
29.07:444:46
39.07:454:46
49.07:464:46
59.07:474:46
69.07:484:46
78.97:494:45
88.97:504:45
98.97:504:45
108.97:514:45
118.97:524:46
128.97:534:46
138.97:544:46
148.97:544:46
158.87:554:46
168.87:564:46
178.87:564:47
188.87:574:47
198.87:584:47
208.87:584:48
218.87:594:48
228.87:594:49
238.88:004:49
248.88:004:50
258.88:004:50
268.88:014:51
278.88:014:51
288.88:014:52
298.88:024:53
308.98:024:53
318.98:024:54

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.32 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.32 kWh/m² to a high of 6.57 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.32 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.4Dim
21.4Dim
31.4Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.4Dim
71.4Dim
81.4Dim
91.3Dim
101.3Dim
111.3Dim
121.3Dim
131.3Dim
141.3Dim
151.3Dim
161.3Dim
171.3Dim
181.3Dim
191.3Dim
201.3Dim
211.3Dim
221.3Dim
231.3Dim
241.3Dim
251.3Dim
261.3Dim
271.3Dim
281.3Dim
291.3Dim
301.3Dim
311.3Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit London?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in London.

What to pack for London in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, London sees daytime highs around 2°C and nights near -5°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near London in December

The nearest coast averages about 5°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 41 km away) is warmest in August at about 23°C and coldest in February near 1°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 5 to Sep 20 — about 2.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan2Bracing
Feb1Bracing
Mar1Bracing
Apr4Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun17Cool
Jul22Refreshing
Aug23Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct16Cool
Nov10Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index in London in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in London peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 9Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is London?

London sits at 43.0°N, 81.2°W, 252 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is St. Thomas, 24 km away.

Topography around London

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of London.

Within 3 km, the terrain around London has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 62 m around an average of 253 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 118 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 271 m.

The land around London is covered by artificial surfaces (53%) and trees (36%) within 3 km, cropland (48%) and trees (24%) within 16 km, and cropland (57%) and water (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
62 m
16 km
118 m
80 km
271 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: St. Thomas 24 km · Strathroy 32 km · Woodstock 43 km · Tillsonburg 43 km · Stratford 48 km · Norfolk County 71 km · Brant 74 km · Forest Heights 75 km

Canada travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 83% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$55,698
2025
Happiness
6.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
5.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 53%none 35%Muslim 5%Hindu 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for London (42.9834°, -81.233°, elevation 252 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).