Athlone weather in December

In December, Athlone sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 90 mm of precipitation across 14.3 wet days and about 7.3 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 8°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 36 min at the start of December to 7 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Athlone's 3rd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Athlone's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
90 mm
14.3 wet days
Daylight
7 h 18 min
8:50 AM – 4:06 PM
Cloud cover
77%
3rd clearest
Wind
16 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.2
out of 10

Athlone is town in County Westmeath, Ireland.

Density
2,094/km²
people per km²

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 8°C through the month.

A typical December day in Athlone reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 4°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
194
294
394
494
594
694
784
884
984
1084
1184
1284
1384
1484
1584
1684
1784
1883
1983
2083
2183
2283
2383
2483
2583
2683
2783
2883
2983
3083
3183

How December really feels in Athlone

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 21 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
21
wind chill below the day's low

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

Athlone weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 8414.60.77.81.0
Feb / 7112.40.79.41.3
Mar10° / 69130.511.52.0
Apr12° / 7113013.72.9
May15° / 7513.3015.64.0
Jun17° / 10°8113.1016.74.8
Jul19° / 12°8214.5016.25.1
Aug18° / 12°8914.1014.65.1
Sep16° / 10°7212.1012.54.6
Oct13° / 8613.5010.33.3
Nov10° / 8913.60.18.42.0
Dec / 9014.30.77.31.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 78%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12476
22476
32476
42476
52377
62377
72377
82377
92377
102377
112377
122377
132377
142278
152278
162278
172179
182179
192278
202278
212179
222179
232179
242179
252179
262179
272080
282179
292278
302278
312179

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Athlone gets around 90 mm of rain and snow over 14.3 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 46% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1471
2471
3471
4471
5471
6471
7461
8461
9461
10461
11451
12451
13451
14451
15451
16451
17451
18451
19452
20452
21452
22452
23462
24463
25463
26463
27463
28473
29473
30473
31473

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 16 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 36 min at the start of December to 7 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:33 AM to 8:56 AM, and sunset from 4:10 PM to 4:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.68:334:10
27.68:344:09
37.68:364:09
47.58:374:08
57.58:384:08
67.58:404:07
77.48:414:07
87.48:424:07
97.48:434:06
107.48:444:06
117.38:454:06
127.38:464:06
137.38:474:06
147.38:484:06
157.38:494:06
167.38:504:06
177.38:514:06
187.28:514:06
197.28:524:07
207.28:534:07
217.28:534:07
227.28:544:08
237.28:544:08
247.28:554:09
257.28:554:09
267.28:554:10
277.38:554:11
287.38:564:12
297.38:564:12
307.38:564:13
317.38:564:14

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.49 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.49 kWh/m² to a high of 4.63 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.49 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.6Dim
20.6Dim
30.6Dim
40.6Dim
50.5Dim
60.5Dim
70.5Dim
80.5Dim
90.5Dim
100.5Dim
110.5Dim
120.5Dim
130.5Dim
140.5Dim
150.5Dim
160.5Dim
170.5Dim
180.5Dim
190.5Dim
200.5Dim
210.5Dim
220.5Dim
230.5Dim
240.5Dim
250.5Dim
260.5Dim
270.5Dim
280.5Dim
290.5Dim
300.5Dim
310.5Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Athlone?

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

1.2
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Athlone.

What to pack for Athlone in December

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

In December, Athlone sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

UV index in Athlone 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 Athlone peaks around June 19 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. 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 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 19UV 5Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Athlone?

Athlone sits at 53.4°N, 7.9°W, 39 m above sea level, in Ireland. The nearest listed city is Tullamore, 34 km away.

TullamoreAn Muileann gCearrPortlaoiseGalwayDroichead NuaNavanNaasMaynooth

Topography around Athlone

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Athlone has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 32 m around an average of 41 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 123 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 690 m.

The land around Athlone is covered by grassland (61%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, grassland (78%) within 16 km, and grassland (81%) within 80 km.

3 km
32 m
16 km
123 m
80 km
690 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Tullamore 34 km · An Muileann gCearr 41 km · Portlaoise 61 km · Galway 76 km · Droichead Nua 80 km · Navan 87 km · Naas 87 km · Maynooth 89 km

Ireland travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 85% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$131,592
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
96%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Roman Catholic 69%none 15%Protestant 4%Orthodox 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 Athlone (53.4228°, -7.9372°, elevation 39 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. 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).