Leixlip weather in December

In December, Leixlip sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 74 mm of precipitation across 12.8 wet days and about 7.3 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 13% 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 Leixlip's 3rd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Leixlip's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
74 mm
12.8 wet days
Daylight
7 h 18 min
8:44 AM – 4:00 PM
Cloud cover
75%
3rd clearest
Wind
16 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.1
out of 10

Leixlip is town in County Kildare, 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 Leixlip 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)
184
284
384
484
584
684
784
884
983
1083
1183
1283
1383
1483
1583
1683
1783
1883
1983
2083
2183
2273
2373
2473
2573
2673
2773
2873
2973
3073
3173

How December really feels in Leixlip

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.

Leixlip 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 / 6813.30.87.81.0
Feb / 5511.81.29.41.2
Mar10° / 57120.911.51.9
Apr12° / 6513.50.113.72.7
May14° / 6713.8015.63.7
Jun17° / 10°7313016.64.8
Jul19° / 12°7414.7016.25.1
Aug18° / 12°7613.4014.65.2
Sep16° / 10°6612012.44.6
Oct13° / 7412.1010.33.3
Nov10° / 79130.28.41.9
Dec / 7412.80.87.31.1

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 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 75%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12773
22773
32674
42674
52674
62674
72575
82575
92575
102674
112674
122575
132575
142575
152476
162476
172476
182476
192476
202476
212575
222575
232575
242575
252575
262575
272674
282674
292674
302773
312674

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Leixlip gets around 74 mm of rain and snow over 12.8 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 44% 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
8402
9402
10401
11401
12401
13401
14411
15411
16411
17412
18412
19412
20412
21412
22413
23423
24423
25423
26424
27424
28434
29434
30434
31444

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 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 8:27 AM to 8:50 AM, and sunset from 4:05 PM to 4:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.68:274:05
27.68:284:04
37.68:304:03
47.58:314:03
57.58:324:02
67.58:344:02
77.48:354:01
87.48:364:01
97.48:374:01
107.48:384:01
117.48:394:00
127.38:404:00
137.38:414:00
147.38:424:00
157.38:434:00
167.38:444:00
177.38:454:01
187.38:454:01
197.38:464:01
207.28:474:01
217.28:474:02
227.28:484:02
237.28:484:03
247.28:484:03
257.38:494:04
267.38:494:05
277.38:494:05
287.38:494:06
297.38:504:07
307.38:504:08
317.38:504:09

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 5.1 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
10.7Dim
20.6Dim
30.6Dim
40.6Dim
50.6Dim
60.6Dim
70.6Dim
80.6Dim
90.6Dim
100.6Dim
110.6Dim
120.6Dim
130.6Dim
140.5Dim
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
280.6Dim
290.6Dim
300.6Dim
310.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Leixlip?

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 Leixlip.

What to pack for Leixlip in December

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

In December, Leixlip 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 Leixlip 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 25 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.

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul15Bracing
Aug15Cool
Sep15Bracing
Oct13Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Leixlip 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 Leixlip 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 Leixlip?

Leixlip sits at 53.4°N, 6.5°W, 48 m above sea level, in Ireland. The nearest listed city is Lucan, 3.0 km away.

Topography around Leixlip

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Leixlip has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 56 m around an average of 55 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 422 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 946 m.

The land around Leixlip is covered by grassland (41%) and cropland (24%) within 3 km, grassland (56%) within 16 km, and grassland (57%) and water (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
56 m
16 km
422 m
80 km
946 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Lucan 3.0 km · Celbridge 4.0 km · Maynooth 7.0 km · Blanchardstown 8.0 km · Tallaght 12 km · South Dublin 13 km · Finglas 13 km · Templeogue 15 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 Leixlip (53.3658°, -6.4956°, 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).