Carlow weather in December

In December, Carlow sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 78 mm of precipitation across 12.6 wet days and about 7.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-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 42 min at the start of December to 7 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Carlow's 5th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Carlow's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
78 mm
12.6 wet days
Daylight
7 h 24 min
8:42 AM – 4:05 PM
Cloud cover
77%
5th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.2
out of 10

Carlow is county town of County Carlow, Leinster, Ireland.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7.6 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
219/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 Carlow reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°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)
193
293
393
493
583
683
783
883
983
1083
1183
1283
1383
1483
1583
1683
1783
1883
1983
2083
2183
2283
2383
2483
2583
2683
2783
2883
2983
3083
3183

How December really feels in Carlow

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Carlow weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7112.80.57.91.1
Feb / 5811.40.89.51.3
Mar10° / 5911.50.611.52.0
Apr12° / 6812.7013.62.9
May15° / 6712.9015.54.0
Jun17° / 10°7111.6016.55.1
Jul19° / 12°6712.7016.15.4
Aug18° / 12°7311.7014.55.5
Sep16° / 10°6210.9012.44.8
Oct13° / 8012.1010.33.4
Nov10° / 7912.10.18.42.0
Dec / 7812.60.57.41.2

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 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 76%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12575
22575
32674
42575
52575
62575
72575
82476
92476
102476
112476
122377
132377
142377
152278
162377
172278
182278
192278
202278
212278
222278
232278
242377
252377
262377
272476
282476
292476
302476
312575

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Carlow gets around 78 mm of rain and snow over 12.6 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 40% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1401
2401
3401
4391
5391
6391
7391
8391
9391
10391
11391
12391
13401
14401
15401
16401
17411
18411
19412
20412
21412
22412
23412
24422
25422
26422
27422
28422
29422
30422
31422

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 15 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 15 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
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light 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 7 h 42 min at the start of December to 7 h 24 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 8:26 AM to 8:48 AM, and sunset from 4:09 PM to 4:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.78:264:09
27.78:274:09
37.78:294:08
47.68:304:07
57.68:314:07
67.68:324:07
77.58:344:06
87.58:354:06
97.58:364:06
107.58:374:05
117.58:384:05
127.48:394:05
137.48:404:05
147.48:414:05
157.48:424:05
167.48:424:05
177.48:434:05
187.48:444:06
197.48:454:06
207.48:454:06
217.38:464:07
227.38:464:07
237.38:474:08
247.48:474:08
257.48:474:09
267.48:484:09
277.48:484:10
287.48:484:11
297.48:484:12
307.48:484:13
317.48:484:13

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.56 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.56 kWh/m² to a high of 5.06 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.56 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.7Dim
20.7Dim
30.6Dim
40.6Dim
50.6Dim
60.6Dim
70.6Dim
80.6Dim
90.6Dim
100.6Dim
110.6Dim
120.6Dim
130.6Dim
140.6Dim
150.6Dim
160.6Dim
170.6Dim
180.5Dim
190.5Dim
200.5Dim
210.5Dim
220.5Dim
230.5Dim
240.6Dim
250.6Dim
260.6Dim
270.6Dim
280.6Dim
290.6Dim
300.6Dim
310.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Carlow?

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 Carlow.

What to pack for Carlow in December

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

In December, Carlow sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Carlow in December

The nearest coast averages about 11°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 54 km away) is warmest in September at about 15°C and coldest in March near 8°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug15Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Carlow 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 Carlow peaks around August 13 at about 6 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 13UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May5High
Jun6High
Jul5High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Carlow?

Carlow sits at 52.8°N, 6.9°W, 55 m above sea level, in Ireland. The nearest listed city is Kilkenny, 30 km away.

KilkennyPortlaoiseDroichead NuaNaasTullamoreCelbridgeTallaghtSouth Dublin

Topography around Carlow

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Carlow has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m around an average of 57 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 320 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 933 m.

The land around Carlow is covered by grassland (44%) and cropland (28%) within 3 km, grassland (60%) and cropland (28%) within 16 km, and grassland (64%) within 80 km.

3 km
57 m
16 km
320 m
80 km
933 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Kilkenny 30 km · Portlaoise 33 km · Droichead Nua 39 km · Naas 45 km · Tullamore 61 km · Celbridge 61 km · Tallaght 62 km · South Dublin 63 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 Carlow (52.8408°, -6.9261°, elevation 55 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).