Killarney weather in December

In December, Killarney sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 125 mm of precipitation across 16.5 wet days and about 7.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 1st-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 8% 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 Killarney's 5th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Killarney's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
125 mm
16.5 wet days
Daylight
7 h 30 min
8:48 AM – 4:20 PM
Cloud cover
79%
5th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.1
out of 10

Killarney is town in County Kerry, Ireland.

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 Killarney 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 11°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
394
494
594
684
784
884
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 Killarney

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 28 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
28
wind chill below the day's low

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

Killarney weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 11916.90.681.0
Feb / 10014.30.69.61.2
Mar10° / 9114.40.511.51.8
Apr12° / 93140.213.62.6
May14° / 9915.8015.43.4
Jun16° / 9014.3016.44.3
Jul18° / 11°9514.40164.9
Aug17° / 11°9915014.44.7
Sep16° / 8312.6012.44.3
Oct13° / 11515.3010.43.1
Nov10° / 11215.30.18.51.8
Dec / 12516.50.57.61.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% 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 80%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22377
32278
42179
52179
62179
72179
82179
92179
102080
112080
122080
132080
142080
152080
162080
171981
181981
191981
201981
211981
221981
231981
241981
251981
261981
271981
282080
292080
302179
312179

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Killarney gets around 125 mm of rain and snow over 16.5 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 53% and peaks near 54% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1521
2531
3531
4541
5541
6541
7541
8541
9541
10531
11530
12531
13521
14521
15511
16511
17511
18511
19511
20512
21512
22512
23522
24522
25532
26532
27532
28543
29543
30543
31543

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 14 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
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light 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 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 8:32 AM to 8:54 AM, and sunset from 4:23 PM to 4:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.98:324:23
27.88:334:23
37.88:354:22
47.88:364:22
57.78:374:21
67.78:394:21
77.78:404:21
87.78:414:20
97.68:424:20
107.68:434:20
117.68:444:20
127.68:454:20
137.68:464:20
147.58:474:20
157.58:484:20
167.58:484:20
177.58:494:20
187.58:504:20
197.58:514:21
207.58:514:21
217.58:524:21
227.58:524:22
237.58:534:22
247.58:534:23
257.58:534:23
267.58:544:24
277.58:544:25
287.58:544:26
297.58:544:26
307.58:544:27
317.68:544:28

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.61 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.61 kWh/m² to a high of 5.2 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.61 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.7Dim
20.7Dim
30.7Dim
40.7Dim
50.7Dim
60.7Dim
70.7Dim
80.7Dim
90.6Dim
100.6Dim
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 Killarney?

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

1.1
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 Killarney.

What to pack for Killarney in December

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

In December, Killarney sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 17 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Killarney 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 55 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
Feb10Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul15Cool
Aug16Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Killarney 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 Killarney 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 Killarney?

Killarney sits at 52.1°N, 9.5°W, 0 m above sea level, in Ireland. The nearest listed city is Tralee, 27 km away.

TraleeDingleBallincolligCorkDouglasCarrigalineLimerickEnnis

Topography around Killarney

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Killarney has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 156 m around an average of 50 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 963 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,051 m.

The land around Killarney is covered by grassland (48%) and trees (29%) within 3 km, grassland (77%) within 16 km, and grassland (54%) and water (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
156 m
16 km
963 m
80 km
1,051 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Tralee 27 km · Dingle 53 km · Ballincollig 66 km · Cork 73 km · Douglas 76 km · Carrigaline 81 km · Limerick 90 km · Ennis 94 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 Killarney (52.0598°, -9.5086°, elevation 0 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).