Kilkenny weather in December

In December, Kilkenny sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 77 mm of precipitation across 13.4 wet days and about 7.5 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-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 48 min at the start of December to 7 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Kilkenny's 5th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kilkenny's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
77 mm
13.4 wet days
Daylight
7 h 24 min
8:43 AM – 4:08 PM
Cloud cover
77%
5th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.2
out of 10

Kilkenny is city in County Kilkenny, Ireland.

Air quality
Good
PM10 17.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
807/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 Kilkenny 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)
194
294
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 Kilkenny

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.

Kilkenny weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7112.80.681.1
Feb / 5811.40.89.51.2
Mar10° / 5811.60.711.51.9
Apr12° / 6512.5013.62.9
May15° / 6512.9015.53.9
Jun17° / 10°7011.8016.55.0
Jul19° / 12°6512.5016.15.3
Aug18° / 11°7111.8014.55.4
Sep16° / 10°6110.7012.44.8
Oct13° / 7812.3010.33.3
Nov10° / 7712.10.18.52.0
Dec / 7713.40.57.51.2

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 77%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12476
22476
32476
42476
52377
62377
72377
82377
92377
102278
112278
122278
132278
142278
152179
162179
172278
182377
192377
202377
212377
222377
232377
242377
252377
262377
272476
282575
292575
302476
312575

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Kilkenny gets around 77 mm of rain and snow over 13.4 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 43% 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 (%)
1431
2431
3431
4431
5431
6431
7431
8421
9421
10421
11421
12421
13421
14421
15421
16421
17421
18421
19421
20421
21422
22432
23432
24432
25432
26432
27432
28432
29432
30432
31432

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 16 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
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 48 min at the start of December to 7 h 30 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 4:11 PM to 4:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.88:264:11
27.78:274:11
37.78:294:10
47.78:304:10
57.68:314:09
67.68:334:09
77.68:344:08
87.68:354:08
97.58:364:08
107.58:374:08
117.58:384:08
127.58:394:07
137.58:404:07
147.48:414:07
157.48:424:07
167.48:434:08
177.48:434:08
187.48:444:08
197.48:454:08
207.48:454:09
217.48:464:09
227.48:464:09
237.48:474:10
247.48:474:11
257.48:484:11
267.48:484:12
277.48:484:12
287.48:484:13
297.48:484:14
307.48:494:15
317.58:494:16

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.55 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.55 kWh/m² to a high of 4.91 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.55 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.6Dim
20.6Dim
30.6Dim
40.6Dim
50.6Dim
60.6Dim
70.6Dim
80.6Dim
90.6Dim
100.6Dim
110.6Dim
120.6Dim
130.6Dim
140.6Dim
150.5Dim
160.5Dim
170.5Dim
180.5Dim
190.5Dim
200.5Dim
210.5Dim
220.5Dim
230.5Dim
240.5Dim
250.5Dim
260.6Dim
270.6Dim
280.6Dim
290.6Dim
300.6Dim
310.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Kilkenny?

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 Kilkenny.

What to pack for Kilkenny in December

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

In December, Kilkenny 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 Kilkenny 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 59 km away) is warmest in August at about 16°C and coldest in February 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
Jan9Bracing
Feb9Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug16Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Kilkenny 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 Kilkenny 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 Kilkenny?

Kilkenny sits at 52.7°N, 7.3°W, 48 m above sea level, in Ireland. The nearest listed city is Carlow, 30 km away.

CarlowPortlaoiseWaterfordCluain MealaWexfordDroichead NuaTullamoreNaas

Topography around Kilkenny

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kilkenny has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 71 m around an average of 62 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 330 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 928 m.

The land around Kilkenny is covered by grassland (50%) within 3 km, grassland (77%) within 16 km, and grassland (67%) within 80 km.

3 km
71 m
16 km
330 m
80 km
928 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Carlow 30 km · Portlaoise 42 km · Waterford 45 km · Cluain Meala 45 km · Wexford 65 km · Droichead Nua 66 km · Tullamore 71 km · Naas 74 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 Kilkenny (52.6542°, -7.2522°, elevation 48 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).