Sligo weather in December

In December, Sligo sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 114 mm of precipitation across 18.2 wet days and about 7.2 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 6% 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 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Sligo's 8th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sligo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
114 mm
18.2 wet days
Daylight
7 h 06 min
8:57 AM – 4:03 PM
Cloud cover
80%
8th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.45 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.0
out of 10

Sligo is main town in county Sligo, Ireland.

Density
668/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 Sligo 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
1383
1483
1583
1683
1783
1883
1983
2073
2173
2273
2373
2473
2573
2673
2773
2873
2973
3073
3173

How December really feels in Sligo

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.

Sligo 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 / 10917.61.47.70.9
Feb / 9415.41.39.31.0
Mar / 9116.40.911.51.7
Apr12° / 8414.90.213.72.6
May14° / 9615.1015.73.6
Jun16° / 10°9915.5016.84.2
Jul18° / 12°11017.9016.44.5
Aug18° / 12°10818014.74.4
Sep16° / 10°9115012.54.1
Oct13° / 11016.7010.22.9
Nov10° / 11017.50.18.21.6
Dec / 11418.20.97.21.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% 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 82%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11882
21783
31783
41783
51783
61684
71684
81783
91783
101783
111783
121783
131783
141783
151783
161882
171882
181882
191783
201783
211783
221783
231783
241783
251882
261981
271981
281981
291981
301981
311981

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Sligo gets around 114 mm of rain and snow over 18.2 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 58% and peaks near 59% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1581
2581
3581
4582
5582
6582
7582
8582
9582
10582
11572
12572
13572
14562
15563
16563
17563
18573
19573
20573
21573
22583
23583
24593
25593
26593
27593
28593
29593
30594
31594

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 17 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
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light 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 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:40 AM to 9:03 AM, and sunset from 4:08 PM to 4:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.58:404:08
27.48:414:07
37.48:434:06
47.48:444:06
57.38:454:05
67.38:474:05
77.38:484:04
87.28:494:04
97.28:504:03
107.28:514:03
117.28:534:03
127.28:544:03
137.18:554:03
147.18:564:03
157.18:564:03
167.18:574:03
177.18:584:03
187.18:594:03
197.18:594:03
207.19:004:04
217.19:014:04
227.19:014:05
237.19:024:05
247.19:024:06
257.19:024:06
267.19:034:07
277.19:034:08
287.19:034:08
297.19:034:09
307.19:034:10
317.19:034:11

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.45 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.45 kWh/m² to a high of 4.93 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.45 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.5Dim
20.5Dim
30.5Dim
40.5Dim
50.5Dim
60.5Dim
70.5Dim
80.5Dim
90.5Dim
100.5Dim
110.5Dim
120.5Dim
130.5Dim
140.5Dim
150.4Dim
160.4Dim
170.4Dim
180.4Dim
190.4Dim
200.4Dim
210.4Dim
220.4Dim
230.4Dim
240.4Dim
250.4Dim
260.4Dim
270.4Dim
280.5Dim
290.5Dim
300.5Dim
310.5Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Sligo?

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

1.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sligo.

What to pack for Sligo in December

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

In December, Sligo sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 18 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Sligo 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 15 km away) is warmest in August at about 16°C and coldest in February 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
Aug16Cool
Sep15Bracing
Oct13Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Sligo 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 Sligo peaks around June 23 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 0 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 23UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Sligo?

Sligo sits at 54.3°N, 8.5°W, 13 m above sea level, in Ireland. The nearest listed city is Omagh, 84 km away.

OmaghLetterkennyAthloneLondonderry County BoroughDerryAn Muileann gCearrGalwayTullamore

Topography around Sligo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sligo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 120 m around an average of 27 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 660 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 805 m.

The land around Sligo is covered by grassland (56%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, grassland (66%) within 16 km, and grassland (64%) and water (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
120 m
16 km
660 m
80 km
805 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Omagh 84 km · Letterkenny 89 km · Athlone 100 km · Londonderry County Borough 110 km · Derry 110 km · An Muileann gCearr 111 km · Galway 117 km · Tullamore 128 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 Sligo (54.2697°, -8.4694°, elevation 13 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).