Antrim weather in December

In December, Antrim sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 76 mm of precipitation across 13.1 wet days and about 7.1 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 6th-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 24 min at the start of December to 7 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Antrim's 4th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Antrim's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
76 mm
13.1 wet days
Daylight
7 hours
8:51 AM – 3:51 PM
Cloud cover
77%
4th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.45 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.0
out of 10

Antrim is town on the shore of Lough Neagh, in the baronies of Toome Upper and Toome Lower, Co. Antrim, in the northeast of Northern 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 Antrim 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
1873
1973
2073
2173
2273
2373
2473
2573
2673
2773
2873
2973
3073
3173

How December really feels in Antrim

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 25 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
25
wind chill below the day's low

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

Antrim weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7314.21.47.60.9
Feb / 6112.61.49.31.1
Mar / 6213.90.911.51.7
Apr11° / 6513.70.213.72.6
May14° / 7014.50.115.83.6
Jun17° / 10°7714016.94.5
Jul18° / 12°8214.8016.55.0
Aug18° / 12°8414.8014.74.9
Sep16° / 10°6712.7012.54.4
Oct13° / 8113.8010.23.1
Nov10° / 7713.80.28.21.8
Dec / 7613.10.77.11.0

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 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 77%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22674
32674
42674
52575
62575
72575
82575
92377
102377
112377
122476
132278
142278
152278
162278
172179
182278
192278
202278
212278
222377
232377
242377
252377
262377
272377
282476
292476
302476
312575

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Antrim gets around 76 mm of rain and snow over 13.1 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 42% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1442
2442
3442
4442
5442
6432
7432
8432
9422
10422
11412
12412
13402
14402
15402
16402
17392
18392
19402
20402
21402
22413
23413
24423
25423
26433
27443
28443
29453
30453
31464

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
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 24 min at the start of December to 7 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:33 AM to 8:57 AM, and sunset from 3:56 PM to 3:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.48:333:56
27.38:353:55
37.38:363:55
47.38:383:54
57.28:393:53
67.28:403:53
77.28:423:52
87.28:433:52
97.18:443:52
107.18:453:51
117.18:463:51
127.18:473:51
137.08:483:51
147.08:493:51
157.08:503:51
167.08:513:51
177.08:523:51
187.08:533:51
197.08:533:52
207.08:543:52
217.08:543:52
227.08:553:53
237.08:553:53
247.08:563:54
257.08:563:54
267.08:563:55
277.08:573:56
287.08:573:57
297.08:573:57
307.08:573:58
317.08:573:59

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 4.99 kWh/m² in May 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
150.5Dim
160.4Dim
170.4Dim
180.4Dim
190.4Dim
200.4Dim
210.4Dim
220.4Dim
230.4Dim
240.4Dim
250.4Dim
260.4Dim
270.5Dim
280.5Dim
290.5Dim
300.5Dim
310.5Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Antrim?

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

1.0
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 Antrim.

What to pack for Antrim in December

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

In December, Antrim 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 Antrim 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 28 km away) is warmest in September at about 14°C and coldest in March near 8°C.

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

6°8°10°12°14°16°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul12Bracing
Aug13Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct14Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Antrim 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 Antrim peaks around May 22 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 5 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowMay 22UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Antrim?

Antrim sits at 54.7°N, 6.2°W, 33 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Ballymena, 17 km away.

Topography around Antrim

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Antrim has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 117 m around an average of 46 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 363 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 860 m.

The land around Antrim is covered by grassland (46%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, grassland (70%) within 16 km, and grassland (53%) and water (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
117 m
16 km
363 m
80 km
860 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Ballymena 17 km · Newtownabbey 20 km · Belfast 23 km · Lisburn 24 km · Carrickfergus 26 km · Castlereagh 26 km · Larne 29 km · Craigavon 32 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 Antrim (54.7175°, -6.211°, elevation 33 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).