Carrigaline weather in December

In December, Carrigaline sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 101 mm of precipitation across 14.4 wet days and about 7.6 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 9°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 54 min at the start of December to 7 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Carrigaline's 4th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Carrigaline's year-round climate.

Daytime high
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
101 mm
14.4 wet days
Daylight
7 h 36 min
8:43 AM – 4:17 PM
Cloud cover
73%
4th clearest
Wind
23 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.7
out of 10

Carrigaline is human settlement.

Density
3,965/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 9°C through the month.

A typical December day in Carrigaline reaches about 9°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 6°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1107
2107
3107
4107
5107
6107
7107
8107
9107
10107
11107
12107
13107
1496
1596
1696
1796
1896
1996
2096
2196
2296
2396
2496
2596
2696
2796
2896
2996
3096
3196

Carrigaline weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 9614.58.11.5
Feb / 7411.89.61.5
Mar / 6811.511.51.9
Apr11° / 6711.213.62.5
May13° / 6311.815.43.4
Jun16° / 12°6410.416.44.5
Jul17° / 14°6511.1165.2
Aug17° / 14°7211.114.45.2
Sep16° / 12°7010.712.44.7
Oct14° / 10°10113.710.43.4
Nov11° / 9613.78.62.4
Dec / 10114.47.61.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23169
33169
43169
53169
63169
73169
83169
93169
103070
113070
123070
132971
142971
152872
162872
172773
182773
192773
202872
212872
222773
232773
242773
252872
262872
272872
282971
292971
302971
312971

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Carrigaline gets around 101 mm of rain and snow over 14.4 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 46% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
146
246
346
446
546
646
747
847
947
1047
1147
1247
1347
1447
1547
1647
1747
1847
1946
2046
2146
2246
2346
2446
2546
2646
2746
2846
2946
3047
3147

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 23 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 22 km/h on the calmest days to 23 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
122breezy
222breezy
322breezy
422breezy
522breezy
623breezy
723breezy
823breezy
923breezy
1023breezy
1123breezy
1223breezy
1323breezy
1423breezy
1523breezy
1623breezy
1723breezy
1823breezy
1923breezy
2023breezy
2123breezy
2223breezy
2323breezy
2423breezy
2523breezy
2623breezy
2723breezy
2823breezy
2923breezy
3023breezy
3123breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 54 min at the start of December to 7 h 36 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 8:49 AM, and sunset from 4:20 PM to 4:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.98:264:20
27.98:284:20
37.88:294:19
47.88:304:19
57.88:324:18
67.88:334:18
77.78:344:18
87.78:354:17
97.78:364:17
107.78:374:17
117.68:384:17
127.68:394:17
137.68:404:17
147.68:414:17
157.68:424:17
167.68:434:17
177.68:434:17
187.68:444:17
197.58:454:18
207.58:454:18
217.58:464:18
227.58:464:19
237.58:474:19
247.58:474:20
257.58:484:20
267.68:484:21
277.68:484:22
287.68:484:22
297.68:484:23
307.68:484:24
317.68:494:25

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.63 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.63 kWh/m² to a high of 5.35 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.63 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.7Dim
30.7Dim
40.7Dim
50.7Dim
60.7Dim
70.7Dim
80.7Dim
90.7Dim
100.7Dim
110.6Dim
120.6Dim
130.6Dim
140.6Dim
150.6Dim
160.6Dim
170.6Dim
180.6Dim
190.6Dim
200.6Dim
210.6Dim
220.6Dim
230.6Dim
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 Carrigaline?

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

1.7
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Carrigaline.

What to pack for Carrigaline in December

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

In December, Carrigaline sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a windbreaker. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Carrigaline 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 21 km away) is warmest in August at about 16°C and coldest in March near 9°C.

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

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan10Bracing
Feb9Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug16Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Carrigaline 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 Carrigaline peaks around August 12 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 12UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May5High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Carrigaline?

Carrigaline sits at 51.8°N, 8.4°W, 14 m above sea level, in Ireland. The nearest listed city is Douglas, 7.0 km away.

Cluain MealaKillarneyLimerickWaterfordTralee

Topography around Carrigaline

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Carrigaline has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 164 m around an average of 57 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 220 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 928 m.

The land around Carrigaline is covered by grassland (54%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, grassland (45%) and water (24%) within 16 km, and grassland (53%) and water (32%) within 80 km.

3 km
164 m
16 km
220 m
80 km
928 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Douglas 7.0 km · Cork 11 km · Ballincollig 15 km · Cluain Meala 77 km · Killarney 81 km · Limerick 96 km · Waterford 101 km · Tralee 103 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 Carrigaline (51.8117°, -8.3986°, elevation 14 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).