Aberdeen weather in December

In December, Aberdeen sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 74 mm of precipitation across 14.2 wet days and about 6.5 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 7°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 6 h 54 min at the start of December to 6 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Aberdeen's 3rd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Aberdeen's year-round climate.

Daytime high
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
74 mm
14.2 wet days
Daylight
6 h 24 min
8:52 AM – 3:17 PM
Cloud cover
69%
3rd clearest
Wind
25 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.35 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.9
out of 10

Aberdeen is city in Scotland, United Kingdom.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7.3 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
3,051/km²
people per km²
Founded
1175

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 7°C through the month.

A typical December day in Aberdeen reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 4°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
186
285
385
485
585
685
785
885
985
1085
1185
1285
1375
1475
1575
1675
1775
1875
1975
2074
2174
2274
2374
2474
2574
2674
2774
2874
2974
3074
3174

How December really feels in Aberdeen

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 15 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
15
wind chill below the day's low

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

Aberdeen weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7014.11.17.10.7
Feb / 5511.81.790.6
Mar / 5512.51.211.40.9
Apr / 5211.40.413.91.4
May10° / 4810.5016.22.4
Jun13° / 10°6011.2017.53.3
Jul15° / 12°5911.80174.1
Aug15° / 13°6612.30154.3
Sep14° / 11°6612.1012.53.7
Oct12° / 9815.70102.6
Nov / 9215.40.47.81.6
Dec / 7414.20.96.50.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23961
33961
43961
53961
63961
73961
83862
93763
103862
113862
123664
133763
143763
153763
163664
173664
183664
193565
203565
213565
223565
233466
243565
253466
263466
273565
283466
293466
303466
313565

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Aberdeen gets around 74 mm of rain and snow over 14.2 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 46% and peaks near 52% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1522
2522
3512
4512
5502
6501
7491
8491
9481
10481
11472
12472
13462
14462
15453
16453
17444
18444
19444
20444
21435
22435
23435
24435
25445
26445
27444
28444
29444
30454
31453

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 25 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 25 km/h on the calmest days to 26 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
126breezy
226breezy
326breezy
426breezy
526breezy
626breezy
726breezy
826breezy
926breezy
1026breezy
1126breezy
1226breezy
1326breezy
1426breezy
1525breezy
1625breezy
1725breezy
1825breezy
1925breezy
2025breezy
2125breezy
2225breezy
2325breezy
2425breezy
2525breezy
2625breezy
2725breezy
2825breezy
2926breezy
3026breezy
3126breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 6 h 54 min at the start of December to 6 h 30 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 8:32 AM to 8:57 AM, and sunset from 3:24 PM to 3:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
16.98:323:24
26.88:343:23
36.88:363:22
46.78:373:21
56.78:393:21
66.78:403:20
76.68:423:19
86.68:433:19
96.68:443:18
106.58:463:18
116.58:473:18
126.58:483:17
136.58:493:17
146.58:503:17
156.48:513:17
166.48:523:17
176.48:533:17
186.48:543:17
196.48:543:18
206.48:553:18
216.48:563:18
226.48:563:19
236.48:563:19
246.48:573:20
256.48:573:20
266.48:573:21
276.48:583:22
286.48:583:23
296.48:583:24
306.58:583:25
316.58:573:26

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.35 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.35 kWh/m² to a high of 5.12 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 0.35 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.4Dim
20.4Dim
30.4Dim
40.4Dim
50.4Dim
60.4Dim
70.4Dim
80.4Dim
90.4Dim
100.4Dim
110.4Dim
120.3Dim
130.3Dim
140.3Dim
150.3Dim
160.3Dim
170.3Dim
180.3Dim
190.3Dim
200.3Dim
210.3Dim
220.3Dim
230.3Dim
240.3Dim
250.3Dim
260.3Dim
270.3Dim
280.3Dim
290.3Dim
300.3Dim
310.3Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Aberdeen?

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

0.9
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Aberdeen.

What to pack for Aberdeen in December

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

In December, Aberdeen sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 5°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat and a windbreaker. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coata windbreaker

Sea temperature near Aberdeen in December

The nearest coast averages about 9°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 14 km away) is warmest in August at about 13°C and coldest in March near 6°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

5°10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May8Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug13Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Aberdeen 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 Aberdeen peaks around July 13 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 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 13UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Aberdeen?

Aberdeen sits at 57.1°N, 2.1°W, 13 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Nigg, 3.0 km away.

ArbroathDundeeElginSaint AndrewsPerthGlenrothes

Topography around Aberdeen

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Aberdeen has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 110 m around an average of 28 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 263 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,151 m.

The land around Aberdeen is covered by artificial surfaces (48%) and trees (20%) within 3 km, water (46%) and grassland (26%) within 16 km, and grassland (36%) and water (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
110 m
16 km
263 m
80 km
1,151 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Nigg 3.0 km · Peterhead 44 km · Arbroath 71 km · Dundee 92 km · Elgin 92 km · Saint Andrews 99 km · Perth 116 km · Glenrothes 124 km

United Kingdom travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 89% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$57,602
2025
Happiness
6.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
3.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 60%none 26%Muslim 4%other 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 Aberdeen (57.1437°, -2.0981°, 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).