Aberystwyth weather in December

In December, Aberystwyth sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 140 mm of precipitation across 17.5 wet days and about 7.5 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-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 10% 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 Aberystwyth's 10th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Aberystwyth's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
140 mm
17.5 wet days
Daylight
7 h 30 min
8:29 AM – 3:56 PM
Cloud cover
76%
10th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.9
out of 10

Aberystwyth is seaside and university town and community in Ceredigion, Wales.

Founded
1109

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 Aberystwyth reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°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)
184
284
384
484
584
684
784
884
984
1084
1184
1284
1384
1484
1584
1684
1773
1873
1973
2073
2173
2273
2373
2473
2573
2673
2773
2873
2973
3073
3173

How December really feels in Aberystwyth

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 24 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
24
wind chill below the day's low

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

Aberystwyth 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 / 12416.81.180.7
Feb / 9914.31.39.50.9
Mar / 9214.9111.51.6
Apr12° / 7613.90.413.62.7
May15° / 8214.3015.43.8
Jun17° / 10°8813.7016.54.7
Jul18° / 12°9015.6016.15.1
Aug18° / 12°9716.6014.54.9
Sep16° / 10°9214012.44.4
Oct13° / 12016.20.110.33.0
Nov10° / 12917.70.38.51.7
Dec / 14017.50.97.50.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% 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 78%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22476
32377
42377
52377
62278
72278
82278
92278
102278
112377
122278
132179
142080
152179
162179
172179
182179
192179
202278
212278
222278
232278
242377
252476
262476
272476
282476
292476
302476
312476

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Aberystwyth gets around 140 mm of rain and snow over 17.5 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 56% and peaks near 59% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1541
2541
3541
4541
5541
6541
7541
8541
9541
10541
11552
12552
13552
14553
15563
16563
17574
18574
19584
20584
21584
22595
23595
24595
25595
26584
27584
28584
29584
30584
31583

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
317light breeze
417light 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 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 8:12 AM to 8:35 AM, and sunset from 4:00 PM to 4:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.88:124:00
27.88:143:59
37.78:153:59
47.78:163:58
57.78:173:58
67.68:193:57
77.68:203:57
87.68:213:57
97.68:223:57
107.68:233:56
117.58:243:56
127.58:253:56
137.58:263:56
147.58:273:56
157.58:283:56
167.58:293:56
177.58:293:56
187.48:303:57
197.48:313:57
207.48:313:57
217.48:323:58
227.48:323:58
237.48:333:59
247.48:333:59
257.48:344:00
267.48:344:00
277.58:344:01
287.58:344:02
297.58:344:03
307.58:354:04
317.58:354:04

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.53 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.53 kWh/m² to a high of 4.89 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.53 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.6Dim
20.6Dim
30.6Dim
40.6Dim
50.6Dim
60.6Dim
70.6Dim
80.6Dim
90.6Dim
100.6Dim
110.5Dim
120.5Dim
130.5Dim
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
280.5Dim
290.5Dim
300.5Dim
310.5Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Aberystwyth?

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

0.9
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 Aberystwyth.

What to pack for Aberystwyth in December

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

In December, Aberystwyth sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 4°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 Aberystwyth 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 offshore is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in February near 7°C.

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

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan8Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Aberystwyth 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 Aberystwyth peaks around August 13 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Aberystwyth?

Aberystwyth sits at 52.4°N, 4.1°W, 10 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Carmarthen, 64 km away.

AmmanfordLlanelliClydachGorseinonOswestryNeathMerthyr Tydfil

Topography around Aberystwyth

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Aberystwyth has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 149 m around an average of 32 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 512 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,054 m.

The land around Aberystwyth is covered by water (45%) and grassland (29%) within 3 km, water (47%) and grassland (41%) within 16 km, and grassland (55%) and water (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
149 m
16 km
512 m
80 km
1,054 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Carmarthen 64 km · Ammanford 70 km · Llanelli 82 km · Clydach 82 km · Gorseinon 83 km · Oswestry 85 km · Neath 86 km · Merthyr Tydfil 88 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 Aberystwyth (52.4155°, -4.0829°, 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).