Dublin weather in December

In December, Dublin sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 76 mm of precipitation across 12.9 wet days and about 7.4 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 5th-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 14% 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 Dublin's 3rd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dublin's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
76 mm
12.9 wet days
Daylight
7 h 18 min
8:43 AM – 4:00 PM
Cloud cover
74%
3rd clearest
Wind
19 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.2
out of 10

Dublin is capital and largest city of Ireland.

Founded
~841 CE

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 Dublin reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 4°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
384
484
584
684
784
884
984
1084
1184
1284
1384
1484
1584
1684
1784
1884
1984
2084
2184
2284
2384
2484
2573
2673
2773
2873
2973
3073
3173

How December really feels in Dublin

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 25 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
25
wind chill below the day's low

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

Dublin weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 6913.20.97.81.0
Feb / 5711.81.29.41.1
Mar / 5912.21.111.51.7
Apr11° / 6613.80.113.72.4
May14° / 6613.6015.63.5
Jun16° / 10°7313.2016.64.5
Jul18° / 12°7614.8016.24.9
Aug18° / 12°7813.7014.65.1
Sep16° / 10°7012.3012.44.5
Oct13° / 7812.4010.33.2
Nov10° / 8513.20.38.41.9
Dec / 7612.90.87.41.2

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 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 73%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22872
32872
42872
52872
62971
72971
82872
92872
102872
112773
122674
132674
142674
152674
162674
172476
182476
192476
202476
212575
222674
232674
242674
252773
262773
272674
282773
292773
302872
312872

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Dublin gets around 76 mm of rain and snow over 12.9 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 41% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1412
2412
3412
4412
5412
6402
7402
8401
9401
10401
11401
12411
13411
14411
15411
16412
17412
18412
19412
20412
21422
22423
23423
24423
25424
26424
27434
28434
29434
30434
31434

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 19 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light 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 8:26 AM to 8:48 AM, and sunset from 4:04 PM to 4:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.68:264:04
27.68:274:03
37.68:284:03
47.58:304:02
57.58:314:02
67.58:324:01
77.58:344:01
87.48:354:00
97.48:364:00
107.48:374:00
117.48:384:00
127.38:394:00
137.38:404:00
147.38:413:59
157.38:424:00
167.38:434:00
177.38:434:00
187.38:444:00
197.38:454:00
207.38:454:01
217.38:464:01
227.38:464:01
237.38:474:02
247.38:474:03
257.38:484:03
267.38:484:04
277.38:484:05
287.38:484:05
297.38:484:06
307.38:484:07
317.38:484:08

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 5.27 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
170.5Dim
180.5Dim
190.5Dim
200.5Dim
210.5Dim
220.5Dim
230.5Dim
240.5Dim
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 Dublin?

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

1.2
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 Dublin.

What to pack for Dublin in December

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

In December, Dublin sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 4°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 Dublin 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 offshore is warmest in August 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
May11Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul15Bracing
Aug15Cool
Sep15Bracing
Oct13Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Dublin 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 Dublin 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
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Dublin?

Dublin sits at 53.3°N, 6.2°W, 17 m above sea level, in Ireland. The nearest listed city is Rathfarnham, 4.0 km away.

Topography around Dublin

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dublin has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 56 m around an average of 16 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 651 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 946 m.

The land around Dublin is covered by artificial surfaces (68%) within 3 km, grassland (29%), artificial surfaces (24%) and water (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (51%) and water (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
56 m
16 km
651 m
80 km
946 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Rathfarnham 4.0 km · Templeogue 6.0 km · Sandyford 7.0 km · Finglas 7.0 km · South Dublin 8.0 km · Dún Laoghaire 9.0 km · Donaghmede 9.0 km · Tallaght 10 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 Dublin (53.3331°, -6.2489°, elevation 17 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).