Tralee weather in December

In December, Tralee sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 116 mm of precipitation across 17 wet days and about 7.6 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 9°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% 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 Tralee's 5th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tralee's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
116 mm
17 wet days
Daylight
7 h 30 min
8:50 AM – 4:20 PM
Cloud cover
78%
5th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.59 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.4
out of 10

Tralee 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 9°C through the month.

A typical December day in Tralee reaches about 9°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 5°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)
195
295
395
495
595
695
795
894
994
1094
1194
1294
1394
1494
1594
1694
1794
1894
1994
2094
2194
2284
2384
2484
2584
2684
2784
2884
2984
3084
3184

How December really feels in Tralee

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 3 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
3
wind chill below the day's low

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

Tralee weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 10817.70.581.2
Feb / 9214.30.59.51.4
Mar10° / 8915.10.211.52.0
Apr12° / 8814.2013.62.9
May15° / 9114.8015.43.7
Jun17° / 10°8314016.44.6
Jul18° / 12°9015.20164.9
Aug18° / 12°9414.6014.54.9
Sep16° / 10°8013.3012.44.5
Oct13° / 10215.4010.33.2
Nov11° / 11117.208.52.0
Dec / 116170.47.61.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% 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 80%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12080
22080
32080
42080
51981
62080
72179
82179
92179
102179
112179
122179
132080
142080
152080
162080
171981
181981
191981
201981
212080
222080
231981
241981
251981
261981
272080
282080
292080
301981
311981

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Tralee gets around 116 mm of rain and snow over 17 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 55% and peaks near 57% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1571
2571
3561
4561
5561
6561
7561
8551
9551
10551
11551
12551
13541
14541
15541
16541
17541
18541
19541
20541
21541
22541
23541
24542
25542
26552
27552
28552
29552
30552
31562

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 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
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
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light 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 8:34 AM to 8:56 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)
17.88:344:23
27.88:354:23
37.88:374:22
47.78:384:22
57.78:394:21
67.78:404:21
77.68:424:20
87.68:434:20
97.68:444:20
107.68:454:20
117.68:464:19
127.58:474:19
137.58:484:19
147.58:494:19
157.58:504:19
167.58:504:20
177.58:514:20
187.58:524:20
197.58:524:20
207.58:534:21
217.58:544:21
227.58:544:21
237.58:554:22
247.58:554:22
257.58:554:23
267.58:564:24
277.58:564:24
287.58:564:25
297.58:564:26
307.58:564:27
317.58:564:28

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.59 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.59 kWh/m² to a high of 5.15 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.59 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.7Dim
20.7Dim
30.7Dim
40.7Dim
50.7Dim
60.6Dim
70.6Dim
80.6Dim
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 Tralee?

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

1.4
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 Tralee.

What to pack for Tralee in December

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

In December, Tralee sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. About 17 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Tralee 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 31 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
Jan10Bracing
Feb9Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul15Cool
Aug16Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Tralee 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 Tralee 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
May5Moderate
Jun6High
Jul5High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Tralee?

Tralee sits at 52.3°N, 9.7°W, 10 m above sea level, in Ireland. The nearest listed city is Killarney, 27 km away.

KillarneyDingleEnnisLimerickBallincolligCorkDouglasCarrigaline

Topography around Tralee

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tralee has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 128 m around an average of 22 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 877 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,051 m.

The land around Tralee is covered by grassland (68%) within 3 km, grassland (73%) within 16 km, and grassland (53%) and water (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
128 m
16 km
877 m
80 km
1,051 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Killarney 27 km · Dingle 41 km · Ennis 80 km · Limerick 85 km · Ballincollig 88 km · Cork 94 km · Douglas 97 km · Carrigaline 103 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 Tralee (52.2704°, -9.7026°, elevation 10 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).