Dundalk weather in December

In December, Dundalk sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 75 mm of precipitation across 12.3 wet days and about 7.2 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-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 13% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 30 min at the start of December to 7 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Dundalk's 4th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dundalk's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
75 mm
12.3 wet days
Daylight
7 h 06 min
8:47 AM – 3:56 PM
Cloud cover
76%
4th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.1
out of 10

Dundalk is county town and administrative capital of County Louth, Ireland.

Air quality
Excellent
PM10 14.4 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,747/km²
people per km²
Founded
~3499 BCE

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 Dundalk reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°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)
184
284
384
484
584
684
784
884
984
1084
1184
1284
1384
1483
1583
1683
1783
1883
1983
2073
2173
2273
2373
2473
2573
2673
2773
2873
2973
3073
3173

How December really feels in Dundalk

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 26 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
26
wind chill below the day's low

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

Dundalk weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7113.31.17.70.9
Feb / 5811.919.41.1
Mar / 6012.60.711.51.8
Apr12° / 6512.60.113.72.7
May14° / 6913.8015.73.7
Jun17° / 10°7513016.84.7
Jul18° / 12°7614.5016.35.1
Aug18° / 12°8313.7014.65.1
Sep16° / 10°6712.1012.54.5
Oct13° / 7812.4010.23.2
Nov10° / 8113.30.18.31.9
Dec / 7512.30.77.21.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% 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 74%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22872
32773
42773
52773
62674
72674
82674
92674
102773
112674
122674
132575
142476
152476
162575
172575
182575
192575
202575
212575
222575
232476
242476
252575
262674
272575
282674
292674
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Dundalk gets around 75 mm of rain and snow over 12.3 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 43% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1411
2411
3411
4401
5401
6392
7392
8392
9392
10391
11391
12391
13391
14391
15391
16391
17391
18392
19392
20392
21392
22402
23402
24402
25413
26413
27423
28423
29423
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 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
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 30 min at the start of December to 7 h 12 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 8:30 AM to 8:53 AM, and sunset from 4:01 PM to 4:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.58:304:01
27.58:314:00
37.48:334:00
47.48:343:59
57.48:363:58
67.48:373:58
77.38:383:58
87.38:393:57
97.38:413:57
107.28:423:57
117.28:433:56
127.28:443:56
137.28:453:56
147.28:463:56
157.28:473:56
167.18:473:56
177.18:483:56
187.18:493:57
197.18:503:57
207.18:503:57
217.18:513:58
227.18:513:58
237.18:523:59
247.18:523:59
257.18:524:00
267.18:534:00
277.18:534:01
287.18:534:02
297.28:534:03
307.28:534:04
317.28:534:05

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 4.81 kWh/m² in May 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
50.6Dim
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 Dundalk?

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

1.1
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 Dundalk.

What to pack for Dundalk in December

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

In December, Dundalk sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Dundalk in December

The nearest coast averages about 10°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 14 km away) 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.

5°10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul15Bracing
Aug15Cool
Sep14Bracing
Oct13Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Dundalk in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 0. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dundalk peaks around August 10 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 10UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Dundalk?

Dundalk sits at 54.0°N, 6.4°W, 18 m above sea level, in Ireland. The nearest listed city is Newry, 21 km away.

DroghedaBanbridgeNavanBalbrigganPortadownCraigavonSwords

Topography around Dundalk

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dundalk has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 58 m around an average of 18 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 582 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 852 m.

The land around Dundalk is covered by grassland (51%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) within 16 km, and grassland (62%) and water (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
58 m
16 km
582 m
80 km
852 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Newry 21 km · Drogheda 32 km · Banbridge 40 km · Navan 42 km · Balbriggan 46 km · Portadown 47 km · Craigavon 50 km · Swords 61 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 Dundalk (54°, -6.4167°, elevation 18 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).